The Sidekick's Vengeance
by STaR Productions
Summary: After Sonic's death, Knuckles returned to Angel Island. But when he realises that Sonic thought of him as a mere sidekick, he returns for revenge to wipe out the memory of the blue 'hero'... with the Ultimate Life as his like-minded ally. Now complete.
1. The Return

**S: Another story from me. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic, or any of his friends, OK? I do own this little tale, though. **

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My head is far too full. If I sit and think, a practice I used to enjoy, all I find are conflicting emotions and thoughts, telling me to do this and do that.

The one voice I should listen to is drowned out by the horrible sounds of betrayal. I feel… betrayed by him, like I should have expected more from him. He was my friend, I think to myself, so why did he betray me?

Then I am disgusted at myself for showing such weakness, even if the only audience is the impassable cavern of my mind. I push the thought back with a sharp punch to the altar, and clench my teeth. It is then that I wake up.

No matter what the weather, no matter the cycle of night and day I find myself in, I am forced to ask the same question.

Why?

And how?

Why did he betray us? How dare he die! Why did he… deceive us like he did? We danced along on his merry ride like puppets.

I hate him. But I can't tell why.

The other question is how? How did he manage to deceive me? Me, of all people! Even when he was my enemy, I did not trust the one who told me he was my enemy. I couldn't afford to be trusting to strangers.

Yet how did he manage to make me his _friend?_ He helped me in my duty, to my eternal dishonour, but that should have been the end of our meeting.

Yet it wasn't! How did he get me to join him on his 'adventures'? Merely thinking the word in association with him gives my mouth a horrible taste.

He played me for a fool. Only because he is dead do I know it. The girl, Amy. What a child, thinking she had one _ounce_ of the ability he had! I would have left in the end anyway, but she forced it upon me. I could not bear to see her face, her eyes filled with false courage and blind trust and adoration, because I saw a reflection of myself in them.

I am convinced it happened slowly. Not even he could have convinced me just like that.

He made me weak when once I was strong, and I hate him for it with such force that it causes me actual pain. Every object I could find of him I destroyed upon my return. I moved my home away from sight of the surface. I saw his mocking face in the oceans below.

I punch the altar, realizing I had begun to think of him again. With limbs that feel heavy, I rise from my seated position and turn. At once my worries evaporate, like a cool breeze in a stifling room.

My charge, the Master Emerald, sits on its pedestal. I touch it with my gloved hand, soothing myself with its rhythms. My heart responds, relieving my stress.

Tails begged me not to go. I could see the madness in his eyes. He had been under the spell for longer than imaginable, following his blue hero.

Who became my blue hero as well.

I hiss and turn round. I do not want to dwell on this.

Right?

I don't want to remember his face, I don't want to remember his eyes, or his stance, or his voice, or his trust in me. I don't want to remember the feeling of acceptance I got when I was around him.

He was my only friend. I was so alone…

And all I want is to have him back. I don't remember falling to my knees, and I don't remember the rain starting. It's easier to pretend it's the rain making my cheeks wet than utter the words of weakness.

I am not crying. I am not.

Why should I cry over him? I didn't know what loneliness was until he came along. My first friend… I want you back.

And I _hate_ you for it.

Can I ever go back? Do I want to change our encounter, so that he didn't walk away with another _servant_?

No. There is more at stake.

Chaos would not have returned without him. I would not know of my past from Tikal. I would not have gained more combat experience. I would not have met the others.

I could go back to them. I just wouldn't look at them, that's all.

The loneliness is crushing, each raindrop hammering on my back. The night closes in, denying me any chance of distracting myself with the familiar landmarks of my home.

Cutting me off.

I so desperately wish to go back. I want to see their faces again. I can do it, I can face them, I am a Guardian, and I never back down.

This time I can help them. This time I will use everything I have to wipe away the stain on my honour. Sonic the Hedgehog, your memory will _fall_.

But your puppets will live. I am going to free them from you, even if I have to cut the strings myself.

You are dead now, and I am glad. I want you back, but now I know that that is just another string, holding me up.

I will stand on my own two feet again.

I grin through the rain, well aware of how it looks. The Master Emerald will help me in this goal, even if it doesn't want to. It looks at me now, wondering about my behaviour.

My look frightens it. Good.

Look out, Dr Robotnik. Angel Island is coming home. I could never stay away for long.

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**S: Tell me what you thought of it. Personally I think the short prequel is better, but you are the judge of that.**

**The ending of this chapter is deliberate. There is more to this story, and it's sloshing around between my ears at this very moment. If you want this to continue, please tell me so in a review.**

**By the way, the prequel to this is a Oneshot I wrote called 'The Sidekick of Someone Else Now'. It has an important plot point in it, and if you don't take a few minutes to read it and catch up, you may be like "WTF!?" later on in this. I'm just saying.**

**I thank you for reading. Goodbye for now.**


	2. The Death

**S: Here is a new chapter from me! About time you say? Well I'll be, you were actually waiting for this? I'm touched, I really am. Honest. All those lovely reviews from so many people inspired me to write this next part to the story!**

**Now watch as the tumbleweed blows past. Please, enjoy.**

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I can feel the tarmac through my glove. It is gritty and rough, and I know that I will have to drag myself across it. The air smells like burning flesh, and I can barely see the road ahead.

Why don't I give up…?

I can't, that's why.

I know that if I stopped pulling, I wouldn't be able to start again. But I know that I would want to, and knowing that I couldn't would be far more painful than this.

My hand takes another grasp at the tarmac, and my muscles scream as I pull. The loose stones drag under me, becoming lodged in one of a dozen red openings in my chest and side. My hand moves out again, shaking from the stabbing pain of effort.

I know that the road is hot as well, but I am unable to sense it, any exposed skin long burned off from the friction and the melting heat. The tarmac smells like rubbery flames, giving me less air to breathe for my next pitiful drag.

I want to die… but suicide is impossible. It would be excruciating to take my own life, so I decided to drag myself back to the base. If I die on the way, so be it. That isn't suicide.

I can't even get someone else to kill me now. They are all gone. My mother is gone, and my sister is gone too. Both of them, the only people who I cared about, and was cared about in return.

The sweat runs through my fur, tickling my back. I imagine my mother looking down on me now, from her high seat, and tears join the sweat, to mingle in my wounds.

It hurts so much…

The pain in my arm spikes every time I pull, but I dare not stop. I would get my sweet relief, the pain would fountain into the sky in a great ocean of cool idleness, but then I would not continue. My insides would stick to the melted road surface, and I would have to wait until I died, hopelessly waiting.

I think of her again, my mother. Her hair was such a perfect golden, her eyes and face so caring, so filled with love for me. I would wish for her attention, and she would provide. I felt safe in her arms, her warm hands enveloping me as I tried to do the same to her.

The road almost feels like her, so warm, so welcoming…

No!

I must continue! My remaining arm thrusts out again into the unknown, striking the soft ground with a sting. I hold firmly. I pull, again. The pain bites into the muscles, like knives within my skin.

My body is pulled across the floor another time. The agony of it would make me gag, if I was still able. My eyes are closed now, unable to bear the fumes any longer. A pity my lungs can't do the same, but soon they will feel scraping pain on the outside as well as soot and clogging smoke from the inside.

What would my sister say to me now if she saw me? She would panic, her mouth hanging open as she reels back. Then she would rush to me, am I all right? Am I all right?

I don't want to be all right any more. I just want to _die_!

I couldn't even escape my torment after his death. That blue freak, always looking down on me, as if I was another one of his little sidekicks.

Thinking of Sonic sends a shiver through my spine and through my bones. I feel some of the pain in my arm subside, and I continue with renewed vigour.

He always wanted to be in the spotlight, he wanted to be the best, nobody to be better than him. Ha! I was, and that pissed him off no end. What was even better was that I completely refused to even acknowledge him unless I had to, and friendship was never, ever, thought of by me.

He hated me on first sight. I think he knew then that I would not be pushed over as easily as all his other servants, I would most definitely _not_ 'look up to him' as a hero. To me, he was a cheap imitation of myself.

The pain returns, but I push it back with a gasp. I want more time in this world to curse his name.

I can't blame him for my mother's death but I _can_ blame him for my sisters! She was killed in the first moments of the attack, and I never got to say goodbye. That hated hedgehog never finished his battles, and she suffered for it.

I went to visit her grave once, a dirty little hole where G.U.N. headquarters used to be. There was nothing left of her. Nothing.

The agony rips another fold of muscle away, and I choke out a scream. It sounds weak and gravely to me, and my nose fills with the stench of decay.

Rouge was the only one who ever paid attention to me, the only one who cared. She knew all about that hedgehog's lies, and she came to me instead of him. No matter that Sonic's other 'friends' disliked me, sensing our mutual hatred, as long as I had her, I had a reason to live, to save this world from any threat.

As soon as she was gone, my life was lost. Again. It was like losing my mother a second time, and I cried.

I never spoke again, wanting to preserve our final words to each other. I hear her voice now, resonating within me, wishing me luck in my affairs of the day as she took off to go to work. I couldn't say anything back to her, oh how I hate it, but I mumbled a goodbye as she disappeared.

I wish I had another moment with her, to see her again, to look in her eyes and see the same kindness that I saw disappear from my mothers so long ago in death.

Nobody else ever cared about me. I was just another guy; someone irreversibly linked with Sonic the Hedgehog. He would always smile his mocking smile, and wink at me as he subtly influenced his friends to ignore my silent pleas.

He could never beat me in battle, nor turn me to his side, but he still killed my heart. Nobody cared, no one… but Rouge.

And then she died, and no one cared. They looked after themselves, destroying her memory with their scalding words of indifference.

The horrible thing is that it wasn't their fault. It was Sonic, always Sonic.

My teeth clench and in reaction, my fist does too. It thumps on the tarmac, and I am too weak to uncurl it, too focused on my hatred.

I can feel already the insidious poison of the artificial road surface penetrating my body, mixing fatally with my blood. My body deadens as I picture Sonic's face.

I wish all of this pain upon you, hedgehog, wherever you are, for even in death you denied me my freedom. I hate you.

I wish I had the chance to kill you, just to see the look on your cocky face as my fist replaces it.

I smile in the poison. Revenge may have to wait.

My ear on the ground can hear something. A thump, then another. Equal hits to the ground, rhythmic, getting slowly louder.

It must be another robot, on his patrol. I hope he kills me before I die, it will be over much quicker that way.

For the last time, I open my eyes. A robot comes into my bleary vision, moving steadily closer to me. As it gets to me, it stops. A hissing noise reaches me, and a screech wounds my hearing.

It is too much. I will be with you soon, Rouge. And you too, Maria. Goodbye…

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**S: I hope it was good, because I find first person extremely difficult. I would be very grateful if you could comment in a review, perhaps areas that I suck at and need to do better, or maybe just to say hi. I'm also a bit anxious over the rating for this fic as 'M', so if anyone could give some advice, I'd appreciate it. **

**Please tell me if you think I should continue this. If you don't tell me, how can I know? Thanks for reading.**


	3. The Team

**S: Hello readers! Welcome to the next thrilling installment of this story! Please, sit back, and enjoy.**

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Suddenly I am aware again. I can tell instantly that I am in a sitting position, my back resting on a surface. I try to probe my surroundings with my senses, but nothing seems to respond. My eyes won't open, I can't smell or taste anything and all is silent. All I can do is feel, my sense of touch.

Then my body fills with a black leaden feeling, and my breathing stops. I open my mouth to take a panicked breath, but now I can taste bitter phlegm. I cough and retch, pitching forward and spitting out the melted tarmac from my mouth.

The movement throws my brain into disorientation, and I fall blindly to the floor. My stomach clenches, and the hot fluid spews from my mouth and nose, the sensation prompting yet more vomit to be expelled from my body.

Sweat explodes from every pore simultaneously; a feeling akin to goosebumps, and slimy liquid covers my fur.

My face still stings, and I close my throat in instinct to keep what little food I can where it belongs. I breathe in shallow bursts, tasting every time my own decay and the bitter rubbery poison.

Someone grabs me, searing my vulnerable skin. I am hauled back to a sitting position, and I am roughly rubbed down with some sort of material.

Using all my energy, I crack open my eyes to view my apparent saviour.

A blur is all that greets me. It stings to keep my eyes open, so I close them again. I am content to simply exist for now, waiting for the next action to be decided.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out…

How ridiculous it sounds, but I think it anyway, obeying my minds instructions. My chest rises and falls, pain numbing my awakening body with every movement of oxygen.

I can hear the sound of my own breathing, I can feel the cold surface on my back, I can taste rubber in my mouth and feel it in my fur. My nose stinks of rancid vomit.

Why am I feeling so much better? Did that robot not kill me? Is this heaven?

"M-mother…?"

A gasp from my caretaker. I note the deep tenor, and my hopes die. A male. Who would rescue such a wretched being as me…? I want nothing more than to die…

"Mother?! Is your brain gone as well as half your chest, Shadow?"

Who is this person? The voice seems so familiar, but yet distant, like an old acquaintance from your childhood. Light floods my vision as I open my eyes.

I blink several times before even trying to see. After the sixth blink, I see the figure.

My insides twist in recognition. One of Sonic's friends, someone who hates me. I refuse to speak to such a creature, and I am reminded of my earlier outburst. I look away in shame.

Knuckles sighed. "Are you not the least bit grateful, Shadow? You were stuck to the damn road when I found you."

I look at him, watching his eyes. They focus on me completely, something only Rouge really did…

I feel the tears prick my eyes. A sob races from my mouth, and I bite my lip for its incompetence.

Knuckles groaned. He was perched in a crouch, arms on his knees, with a faintly annoyed expression.

"The one person I thought would share my goals, and he goes into self-pity memories mode. Typical."

When have we ever shared the same goal that was genuinely ours? You just followed Sonic, you weak-minded fool!

Knuckles winced visibly and looked away, as if he heard my thoughts. I realise that I am looking at him, and it probably showed on my face.

Knuckles cleared his throat. The taste of rubber in my own is fading now, and I can move my fingers.

"I came back." He looked away, obviously uncomfortable. Not so easy to think for yourself, is it?

Again, it is as if he hears me. His face forms an ugly grimace, and his fists clench and shake with the force. His head whips to me, his dreadlocks dancing around him.

"Sonic… is…" he stops, breathing heavily. He looks away, around the room, then starts again.

"That hedgehog…" he looks away again. Knuckles rises to a standing position, and turns away. My head is clearing, and my programmed knowledge interprets his body language for me.

He is pumped up and ready for action, but at the same time trying to restrain himself. He paces back and forth across the room, unsure what to say or do. I watch to see what the puppet will do next.

"I… I was alone, for most of my life, Shadow." Every word sounded like it was a struggle to say, coming from a large void.

"When I met Sonic for the first time, he was my enemy. Later, he became a necessary ally, and then just a memory, a stain on my honour." Knuckles swung a violent punch through the air. "_How did he ever make me his friend? How did he trick me so easily? I want to kill him!_" The echidna stopped, growling impotently through his teeth.

When he spoke again, it was icy cold and calm. "But he is already dead. So I want to do the next best thing, which is to kill his memory. Only then will my honour be saved, only then will I be at peace."

All I could hear was the echo of his words. '_I want to kill him!_' Was that true? Could it be that someone has finally realised?

I lean forward. "You want to destroy his memory? Make Sonic the Hedgehog… no more?" I could barely keep the excitement away, already making my brain drunk.

Knuckles came to me again, crouching down. He smiled. "Yes I do. I want to repay him for everything he did to me." The guardian licked his lips, and the smile turned into a grin, showing many sharp teeth. "Will you help me?"

I take a deep breath. The pain is forgotten now, the poison long gone. I know that my body cannot die from such things, but now I realise that it was a poison of the mind that was killing me. Sonic had tricked me too, and I felt a warmth in my soul, a kindred force in the presence of someone who understood my plight.

"Yes. I will help you. The day for revenge has finally come!" Now a team, I put my hand out to seal our words. He takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. Now equals, and partners in purpose, we shake hands.

I feel better than I have in months, my old strength returning to my wracked body. The power of Chaos flows through me, purging any remaining poison and healing my body in seconds. The feeling of ecstacy was invigorating, and I could sense everything around me, something that I missed being able to do.

Soon, Rouge. Soon I will avenge you. The vile creature that was Sonic the Hedgehog will be wiped from all memory, and now I have a friend again, someone and something to fight for.

But let's not be too hasty. There were still many questions left unanswered. Knuckles beckons and turns, and I follow him down the corridor, my heart feeling healed in a way not even the great Chaos could ever do.

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**S: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I keep thinking that my writing gets worse and worse...sigh... If you want this to continue, please leave a review. Knowing that someone is enjoying the story is great motivation! Thanks for reading.**


	4. The Plan

**S: Hi. Welcome to Chapter 4. I really struggled with this chapter, for some reason. I hope it's good. Enjoy!**

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It has been a while since I was last here. I look around at the tangled mess on the floor, various crossing wires hiding the bare concrete. A wrecked terminal stands in one corner, glowing a dull green. I remember Tails sitting there, feverishly typing on it to find some sort of information on Robotnik's movements.

I saw the remains of those who lived here in squalor for at least a year. In my memory I saw Amy, red dress replaced by black pants and a grey hooded jacket. Her eyes lost their sparkle, her face permanently downcast. She never seemed to sleep, either.

Cream and Cheese. Heh. I can't help but smile at their memory, but I don't know why. I couldn't even bear to look at them; they would just… sit there in the corner, staring at nothing. I guess such a young innocent girl could never recover from the things she had seen.

Shadow would always stand in the same place, leaning against the same wall. I turn to look at him now, and I realise he is still following me. For the first time, he actually seems to look at me in the eye, face to face, rather than merely acknowledging my presence.

He looks very hopeful, expectant…

Where is everyone else…?

"Shouldn't there be… someone here?"

Shadow seems to withdraw at my words. His eyes flick around the empty chamber.

"There should be…" he replied. He runs past me, looking into the corners of the room as if they could be hiding there.

I get a sudden sinking feeling in my stomach. What had happened?

Nobody was in the base, there were more robots around in the city streets than ever before, and the only person I could find was the one who was almost impossible to kill.

"Did Amy plan an attack, Shadow?"

His head whips to face me. I watch his mouth open soundlessly before closing again. His eyes tell me yes.

"They should be here! I told her to run! We would meet up back…" He slumps. "She didn't make it. Why not?"

My face suddenly feels heated. Why do my eyes feel wet? They meant nothing to me! Just pawns in Sonic's game!

Like me…

I gasp as I realise that they would never wake up. They would never have the chance to pick up the remains of their tattered lives. I was very lucky to be given that chance, and I intend to use it well.

But how will I use it? My honour demands vengeance, yet how to do it?

I need more information. "Shadow. What were you guys trying to accomplish? What was the attack supposed to do?"

He looks up. "_Revenge._"

His eyes flash ominously and he is suddenly in front of me. His stare was incredible, making me unable to look away. Even if I could move, I don't think I would dare.

"_I wanted to avenge Rouge's death. He killed her, and I will have his blood._"

"Robotnik's?" Shadows face twists at the mention of the name. His hands curl into fists. Mine do the same.

"_He was waiting for us. He knew. He knew we were going to try and steal the Chaos Emeralds. I wanted them so I could kill him._"

"So he ambushed you? Did anyone but you make it out?"

At this he seems to calm, and becomes more melancholy again. "What do I care? They never noticed me at all. They wouldn't shed a tear for my death, so why should I do so for them?"

Did he not understand? "Because it was never them! It was always that hedgehog! He was the one who took their lives away, so mourn them for that! They were dead long before their lives were taken!"

My words seem to suck the very air from the room. Absolute silence. Shadow stares at me. I stare back. All the voices this room used to hear are gone now.

"…Tails should be here."

I blink. Why would he be here?

"He was the coordinator. He never left. He should be here." As one we turn to the console, blinking in the gloom. I walk over to it, hearing nothing but my loud clunky footsteps in the unnatural silence.

On the screen the cursor was still twinkling. "If Tails was here, he left in a hurry." I put my hands on the keys. "It's like he just went out for a minute…"

That was strange. If this mission were really that important, Tails would be glued to the screen, in constant radio contact. From what I knew of him, Tails would more likely become totally oblivious to everything while on that computer.

The fox acted differently when he was around machines. It was like a hidden passion with him. I doubt even Sonic could get him to give it up, not that he wanted him to. Even Robotnik respected the fox's abilities.

Glued to the screen…

Oblivious to all…

In radio contact…

_Traceable_ radio contact…

I had a pretty good idea of what happened to Tails. "Shadow, was there _anyone else_ here at the time? Anyone else who didn't go?"

Shadow looked away for a moment. His eyes roved around the room, trying to jog his memory. I didn't imagine he had paid much attention.

I was getting impatient. "Was Amy here?" A shake. "We know Tails was here." A nod. "Who else was with you guys?"

Shadow's eyes nearly crossed with the effort. I suddenly felt very sorry for him. Surrounded by people, yet so alone… he was always seen as a copy of Sonic because of the hedgehog's brainwashing. This was probably the most thinking or speaking Shadow had done for a very long time.

At least my loneliness was self-imposed.

"What about Cream?" Shadow's face lit up. He nodded vigorously.

"Yes! Cream and Cheese should be here too!"

"How about Omega?"

"No…"

"The Chaotix?"

"No…"

"What about R-" I stopped myself just in time. I had nearly mentioned Rouge.

The only person I missed was Rouge. It was Sonic who told me she was dead, just before he himself died. She kept trying to steal the Master Emerald from me, but the last few visits had seemed just that. Visits. To see me. I didn't realise how much I enjoyed her presence until she was gone.

But I had always thought that she and Shadow were an item, so I stayed distant. Now that I think about it, I always felt more clear headed when she was around. I knew who she was, and I knew my duty.

There were no heroic intentions, just my duty. I think Rouge may have known that.

Shadow was staring off into space at my near-mention. Was he romantically involved with her? More importantly, did I have the courage to ask?

Courage? Ridiculous! I am a guardian, I know no fear! I will not speak of it to him, as it is clearly a sore subject, and I need him fighting fit.

So you lie to yourself now, Knuckles? Why did you come back in the first place, hmm? You were lonely. So was he. You are kindred now.

I walk forward and put my hand on his shoulder. It feels awkward to do something like this. The way he stiffens nearly makes me recoil. It feels like I am an invader somehow.

"Do you… miss her, Shadow?"

He shudders under my hand, and my arm feels alien, almost artificial, out of place. I force myself not to move away from him. He looks up.

"I miss my sister… she was always there to talk to…"

"Sister?! But I thought-"

"Hmm?"

"… You were brother and sister…"

Shadow smiled a true smile. "At least you're here. She always said you were different. Rouge said you were much more like your old self when you were busy guarding the emerald." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Sonic tried to keep you away from the emerald, but Rouge never lost hope. 'I'll free him one day,' she said."

Rouge and Shadow actually cared about me? I was different from the others? They wanted to help me…?

My heart fills with an unknown emotion, and my face smoothly changes to match Shadow's own. I take his hand, and pull him into an embrace.

"Thank you Shadow. I wish I could thank Rouge too."

"You can thank her by making sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain."

I pull away, still smiling. "Yes. If we can't kill Sonic, we can make sure he is remembered for what he was."

Shadow sighs in satisfaction. "I have waited so long for someone to say that. Finally, revenge shall be ours!" He clenches his fist, and I hit his with my own.

"There is a chance that they are still alive, Shadow. We have to find them and make them see the light, as you and Rouge helped me to do."

Shadow nods, a grin overtaking his face. He seems much more animated now, very different than the quiet and reserved person I thought I knew. Was this how he really was when he and Rouge were together? Was she the only one who cared?

I will care now. I vow this. This will repay Rouge.

"Shadow. If Tails and Cream were traced here during the raid, then it is likely they were captured rather than killed. In the raid, did you actually see anyone die?"

"No… me and Amy were ambushed in the base. I shoved her out of the way and attacked the robots. I lost sight of her after that."

"So Amy may be alive as well. Good."

"Finding them will be the most difficult thing."

If Tails and Cream were captured they could be anywhere, but where would Amy be? If we assume she made it out of the base then she would come back here, so she must still be…

"If Amy is alive she'll still be in that base, Shadow. We should go there first. Do you know the way?"

Shadow nodded. "Yes. It is marked on the computer." He clicked a few keys on the console. The skill was something I never bothered to learn; my fists were enough to solve my problems, not some fancy buttons.

"Here it is. Gaining entry will be the problem."

There was a flashing dot on the screen now, showing the location of that particular base in a section of the city. It wasn't that far away, even I could read the map.

"I think I have a way to fool the security, Shadow. You weren't found by a robot, you know." I watch as the hedgehog looks at me. He raised an eyebrow slowly.

I jerk my head, telling him to look in the next room. With a glance at me, he proceeds to the door. He looks in, and grins.

Two wrecked robots were lying on the floor. There was more than enough room to hide inside them, as well as control them from the inside.

It feels so good to be the one who fools the doctor this time, made ever sweeter by using his own inventions as disguises.

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**S: Good lord that was hard to write. I hope it wasn't too rubbish anyway. Please leave your comments in the inbox, my secretary will get to them shortly, and hit me with them until the next chapter is produced. **

**Of course, if there are no reviews, there will be no hitting, and thus, no next chapter. Subtle, huh?**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	5. The Infiltration

**S: I am very sorry for what I think is a very poor quality chapter. It's been a while since I updated (I've been busy) so I figured I should give you guys something. But hey, maybe it's actually fantastic and I'm just a pessimist! Enjoy!**

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So if I put that there… then the efficiency goes up, but the robot becomes imbalanced… what about here…?

No, doesn't work either. What if _this_ wasn't _there_, but was _here_… then I could put that _there_… and… yes!

Ah, another robot design complete. This is all I ever wanted to do, just have enough resources and time to make anything that comes into my head. Sounds a bit selfish, now that I think of it, but there really isn't a need to serve your fellow fox now.

My small office is amply furnished, a coffee machine in one corner, a comfy chair… and all it took was giving up something I was better off without.

Is this how a child feels when its parents say 'well done'? The feeling… of presenting some ideas to him, to make up for his kindness in some small way, and be rewarded with his _understanding_!

I have never felt so accepted!

But I have, haven't I…

That was a trick, Miles! A hateful trick, played by some self-important fool who thought himself above such great scientific minds! I can picture his smile now, mocking me… and what did I do? 'Hey Sonic, look what I made for you!' 'Wow! You saved us all, Sonic!'

Sonic, Sonic, Sonic!

It was all about him! He put the world in the mess it's in! Why did he not listen to the Doctor? Only he has the capacity to rule this world efficiently!

But no. He was the _hero_. Look at me! Look at me!

I feel my mouth twist. It is a good feeling.

Look at me! Look at me! Look at my grave…

Heh heh. Reason prevailed. I feel honoured to be the Doctors assistant. Giving him new designs for his armies will only please me for so long, though. I need some way of proving myself to him, prove that I am truly grateful… but what?

I need inspiration. Perhaps a walk, yes, that might work.

I get up, noting idly that my knees crack from such prolonged non-action. It had been quite a long day; maybe rest would be a better option. I already know the route I will take, maybe past the production factory, or maybe the long way round? Guess I'll have to decide when I get there…

Hmm? The console is flashing. I walk over, and see a maintenance warning. Gah, what's wrong now? Who knew one little outpost could need so much?

With a few expert taps on the keys, the computer shows me the problem. Two robots guarding the eastern entrance are behaving oddly. I raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

Their movements are clunky, unnatural. That sounds ridiculous Miles, mental note: think of a more accurate lexicon for such situations.

Still, they are behaving a little strange. Perhaps an inspection is in order. A few more key taps and I have ordered them back to the maintenance area.

Nothing happens. This could be serious.

I grab the communicator. "Robots number," I consult the guide, "E-76-322 and E-76-475, report to maintenance immediately."

I wait for the reaction. _What the?_

_The robot looked up at the camera!_

Something is definitely wrong. They are behaving as if they have minds of their own! Robots do not have minds of their own!

What if they're not robots, Miles?

…

They walk like they're on strings.

I feel my stomach tighten, and I grip the console. "Right then, activating the life-scanner for a quick burst." Talking to yourself, get a grip!

The view expands to a schematic, and a green wash covers the screen for a moment. It takes too much power to run such a complex scanner for long in a base like this, but a second is more than enough for my hunch.

One life sign in the north, that's me. And two by the eastern door. I knew it! Someone's trying to sneak in! Those disguises are very clever… I wonder who it could be?

My hand automatically moves to contact the Doctor. I know he would want to know about this.

But wait…

If I take care of this by myself, then this may increase his estimation of me. I can imagine his smile right now, complimenting me on my handling of the situation.

I would do anything to repay him. I will prove to him that Sonic controls me no more! I will be free, and these intruders will help me to do it.

I tap the screen, moving my tongue over my teeth slowly as I grin. I feel the adrenaline already flowing through me.

Now, now!

I order all available robots to head to the eastern doors. This is going to be _fun_. Maybe even better than designing new machines.

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**S: Well, I hope it was satisfactory. Far too short, isn't it? Maybe I'll do better in the next chapter... By the way, if E-76 is already a real robot, then I didn't know about it. It was just a number I thought of, so you're not meant to visualise whichever robot it actually is, if it exists.**

**Any review is appreciated, and thanks for reading!**


	6. The Rescue

**S: Another chapter at last! I hope this one makes up for the previous one. I'm not too sure about this chapter, I think I've mangled some personalities a bit, but you are the judge of that.**

**Enjoy!**

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Well, it was a good idea in theory, I suppose. Use robot disguises to sneak in, find Amy, sneak out. What a very good plan it was.

We would _magically_ find Amy _conveniently_ in the first place we looked, and somehow the other robots would be completely oblivious to us and we would just waltz back out again. Job done. Tick box. Next.

It wasn't much worse than what Sonic came up with over the years, but then again, if we were with Sonic, I imagine we'd be back at the base by now, having found everyone in the same cell completely uninjured and right now we'd all be worshipping his heroic tendencies again, like always.

Bastard…

Instead we'd been spotted as soon as we walked in, but fortunately instinct had kicked in.

Shadow bust open our disguises in an instant, grabbed my hand, and we were away before the other robots could pull the triggers.

We couldn't hide forever, though.

"Right then, Shadow. Where were you ambushed?"

He doesn't bother answering, but instead grabs my arm again and shoots off, twisting through corridors.

"It was right here." No chitchat, purely business. So unlike his blue rival. Shadow deserved so much more than he got.

I look around the corridor. It expanded into quite a large space at one end, and there were a lot of scorch marks on the walls and floor. My mind had already calculated exactly where the ambush was located from the marks. Even _Cream _would be able to tell it was a trap long before it was sprung. What was it about Sonic that made us such idiots?

Alright. Pretend you have all the time in the world, there are no robots, no threats, just an exercise for your mind. Now where did Amy go?

I take a deep breath, and I feel my spine shiver as it relaxes my muscles.

The robots were there…

Shadow and Amy came through here…

Shadow saw the ambush…

_Shadow threw her to the side as he was hit. The blood was freshly spattered on the floor._

Now it was dried. This meant he was facing…

… _west, towards where the Chaos Emeralds were supposed to be. Amy was hurled several feet to Shadow's right…_

… judging from the way the blood is spilled…

… _and she got up and ran…_

… rubber marks on the floor were evidence of that.

_The robots concentrated on Shadow, so she was able to escape…_

… down there!

"We haven't got much time, Knuckles."

I knew where she went. "This way." We started to run down a new corridor, and quickly turned a corner to prevent the robots from following us. There were at least five other ways we could have gone. As long as we were quiet…

I could hear their clunking footsteps as they examined the room. Shadow had stilled, not even appearing to breathe. My lungs became constricted as I tried to breathe as little as possible.

I suddenly felt a strange desire to show myself, to get rid of the tension. The footsteps had stopped now. It was strange.

I looked at Shadow. 'We have to move, now,' I mouthed.

He nodded, understanding me. Soundlessly, his hover skates activated, leaving him suspended in midair an inch from the floor.

_That's impossible… isn't it?_

He took me under my arms and slowly glided away. It felt absolutely awful. I had glided while thousands of feet above the ground before, but it was nothing compared to this… unnaturally silent hover.

My shoes went very close to the floor, jolting me. I pulled them up quickly; being heard now would not be very good. We needed quiet to look for Amy.

Shadow began to increase his speed once he judged us far enough away. I simply had to hold on.

I heard a voice. Amy!

I pointed to it, and Shadow obligingly changed direction. His movements were becoming more erratic, and his grip was tightening in exertion.

"Put me down," I whispered.

His voice was hoarse as he replied, "Very well." We came back to solid ground, to my immense relief. Technology made me uneasy. Strength was all an echidna needed to survive.

Even after knowing Tails for so long, I still disliked science. So many weird words and nonsense explanations. The Island floated because of the Master Emerald, which was all I needed to know.

But did I really know Tails? He was just 'Sonic's sidekick'. I can't think of any time I actually spoke to him without Sonic being around.

Don't think of Sonic. Think of… happy… things? Gah, how do people stop thinking of things they don't like?

_Would Tails be able to tell me?_

_Will I get a chance to ask him?_

_Would I even ask him?_

I felt a sudden twinge in my stomach as I realised I had no idea what Tails was like, as himself.

Focus on Amy! Rescue her! One thing at a time.

Shadow grabbed my arm. I turned to him.

"Wha-"

He slapped his hand over my mouth. What are you…?

It was then I heard the voices. They were right round the corner.

_What's wrong with me? I let myself be distracted!_

"But what… how?"

"How could I do this? I can _do _things, you know! But how would you know? You. Never. _Cared!_"

There was a horrible fleshy kind of noise, and a gasp of pain.

"You never knew me, you never cared! You're just like him, and all the others, you were just using me!" There was an intake of breath, and the sound of something being lifted from the floor.

"How would you know how much effort I put into building things, all the different parts, all the complexities of it, just for the masterpiece to be shrugged off as 'a machine'? 'Oh, Tails has built something, how nice, I don't care anymore.' Just like _Sonic_, you and the others used me too. I hate you!"

It couldn't be… I jumped out. "Tails!"

I watched as his face shot up in surprise. Then, like a polluted waterfall, his expression descended into an ugly twist of loathing. I watched his free hand curl into a fist, and Amy gurgled as the hand holding her by the neck tightened.

Tails was holding her from the floor with one hand. The fox seemed taller as well, but I realised that it was the way he held himself. I remembered he would always rock slightly on his feet when he was still, and he seemed very short when paired with his 'hero'.

Now he was straight, confidently towering over the hedgehog girl, who looked like she was suffocating. Tails paid no heed.

"You…" he spat, eyeing me with disgust. His eyes travelled up and down my frame, his mouth curling into a sneer. "You, on your island. You looked at me with contempt, I remember… I watched your face when you looked at the machines I'd made, barely able to look at their magnificence, thinking them like dirt."

He dropped Amy. He stepped towards me. "And you _abandoned_ me when I needed you the most! I begged you not to go, oh you must have loved that. But you just swept me aside, the little fox boy not worth your precious time."

Is this what Tails is really like? And me… what does he think of me? It can't be…

"No Tails, you don't understand-"

"I understand more than you _ever will_!" he hissed at me with more venom than a snake, and leapt at me.

Tails is attacking me! I have to do something! But Tails can't be attacking me! I have to do something! This can't be!

A black blur intercepted the fox, and Shadow kicked Tails away down the corridor. To Shadow's surprise, Tails bounded up instantly, and was upon him even quicker. The two grappled, Tails gaining strength from his fury.

My eyes found Amy, and I hoisted her to my shoulder. She was in pretty bad shape, her clothing was torn and she had various cuts on her. There was a large gash in her left leg, which looked like a shot had only just missed causing very serious damage; it explained why she had been unable to get very far.

I now had to get through the storm that was Tails and Shadow. Two streaks of colour kept rebounding from each other as they smashed up the place. My trained senses picked up metallic footsteps, and my heart sank into my stomach.

"We have company, Shadow! Robots!"

My body fidgeted as I waited for him to overpower the fox and disengage. He didn't.

Come on Shadow! We have seconds left to get the hell out of here!

"Aaaah!" I groaned and started to run.

Robots round the corner!

I dived backwards as they took a chunk out of the wall with their shots. We were surrounded on all sides. The footsteps were deafening now.

"Shadow!"

I couldn't dig through metal, even if Amy wasn't on my back. There were no vents, no doors, there was no way out!

And what the hell had happened to Tails? He was enormously powerful all of a sudden; he couldn't _do_ any of these things!

But that was when he was Sonic's pathetic lackey, remember?

I had often wondered why Sonic adopted an apparently useless fox cub to be his little brother. His mechanical skills wouldn't be shown until later, so why had he taken him in?

My answer seemed to be that if you got him pissed, Tails could fight even Shadow.

The two of them broke apart just as the platoon came, cutting off the exits. Shadow landed next to me, and Tails landed some distance away. Other than slightly heavy breathing, the fox seemed unharmed.

He grinned and raised his hand. The robots levelled their weapons at us. My training told me to get rid of my baggage and charge, but I repressed the urge: it would do no good.

I had to stand there like rabbit in headlights. I ground my teeth, this was a dishonourable death! An echidna must fight, not go to his grave like a coward!

Tails spoke. "My revenge will be complete at last."

Shadow's ears pricked up. I realised that was just what we had said to each other not so long ago. Tails was…

"You want to have vengeance against the Faker?"

Tails looked at Shadow. "And what would you know about it?"

"I know that we want the same thing, Tails. That hedgehog ruined everyone's lives. I want vengeance too, and so does the guardian."

"You would let Amy live?"

"She knew no better. How could she have resisted such a manipulative creature as Sonic? You are the same as her."

Tails' face reddened. "I am nothing like her! I am smarter, I am stronger! She looked down on me, as you _all_ did, and now, I will end it! I have found someone who understands me, who respects me and my inventions, and since that _hedgehog_ is no more…" he twitched, "then I shall destroy his lackeys!"

Tails brought his arm down, the signal to fire. I braced myself to jump out of the way.

"Chaos Control!"

The world disappeared before my eyes, and my last thought flowed through my mind as everything dissolved.

_Tails knows too… Tails knows too…_

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**S: Well then, another chapter for you. Please, share your thoughts in a review, I don't bite. I'm nice and easygoing, and I try to reply to everything.**

**See you later, and thanks for reading!**


	7. The Real Hero

**S: This one was so difficult... characterisation is bloody hard! I never meant for the story to go so much in this direction (the direction revealed in this chapter). I had only intended a little bit to get in, but the chapter ran away from me. I think it works anyway though.**

**Please, sit back, and enjoy!**

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The pain… argh!

My teeth press into my gums, I'm clenching them so hard. It causes even more pain, curling me up into a tight ball.

The cold floor burns me, the air slashes at my throat, my fur hurts so much…

Then the pain disappeared.

I take a long gulp of air, feeling it flow through my starving bloodstream. I take another, and another, revelling in the simple pleasure. My muscles shudder and relax, and I embrace the now only cool floor.

This feels perfect. A pulse of energy travels through me, healing me of any injuries. It seems my plan had worked, but I had to check on the others.

I opened my eyes. Blue sky greeted me, a bird was singing in a tree off to the left. The wind caressed my eyes, and the air was so incredibly fresh.

I sat up. I was on the Emerald Altar of Angel Island. A grin came to my face, I was rather proud of myself. The Chaos Control had worked well, barring a few unpleasant side effects. Fortunately my natural energy was helped by the Master Emerald to heal me exceptionally quickly.

But the others didn't have that advantage!

I leapt up, staring everywhere. The world barrelled to the sky, and before I knew it I hit the floor hard.

Healed exceptionally quickly, but not that quickly…

I _felt_ fine. My body obviously disagreed with me. After some experimentation I managed to crawl forward. This seemed the most efficient method of movement, even if it was rather humiliating.

Slowly the Altar meadow came into view, seasonal flowers blooming on the ripe green grass. I had not visited this place often, but it was strange how I never noticed its beauty. I couldn't understand how I could miss such obvious natural splendour.

Admire later, Shadow, Knuckles may need you. I wonder where he ended up…

Suddenly a hand wrapped around my throat. My heart leapt, and I tugged at the glove. It came off my neck easily, to my surprise.

My small action made Knuckles overbalance, and he fell over me, tumbling about five feet away. He jumped up instantly, only to fall again just as fast.

I gaped at him, my stomach tightening in revulsion. He was not in good shape. Blood was oozing from his head, dripping over his eyes and staining his red fur a deep crimson. There was a horrible wound in his side, and the very sight of it made me want to turn away.

The teleport had not been kind to him. His injuries were probably worsened if Amy landed on top of him.

Amy! Where was she? If she died because of this I would never forgive myself. Another face, fading into memory… I couldn't bear it.

"Amy! Where are you? Speak to me!"

There was no answer.

Had I just killed Amy…?

"What… the hell… did you do?!" The voice was quiet yet forceful. I jerked my head to Knuckles.

He rose to his feet, swaying violently. I could see a dark emotion in his eyes, and his face was twisting in pain and anger. He stumbled towards me and swung his fist.

The punch shocked my system and wrenched my head to the side. My jaw exploded with pain, he was still damn strong. My hand held it instinctively, scratching at it in an effort to deaden the pain.

I gritted my teeth and glared at him. That ungrateful…

"What did you do, Shadow?!"

"I just saved our lives, you fool! If I hadn't done that, we would be dead by now!"

"You could have said so first!" I notice his eyes flick to the Master Emerald. He can't be…

"Are you concerned about that damn rock again, guardian? You think I'm going to steal it or something?" Of all the things he could be angry about! "Would you prefer it if I _hadn't_ used it to save us?"

"What did you do to it?"

"I simply concentrated on your connection with it and pushed us along it to end up here! You should be grateful, it was far more difficult than it looked!"

Knuckles twitched. "You seem to be alright! Why am I so beaten up then? Was I not important enough to merit such treatment?"

"It was hard enough to make sure we all got here in one piece! Did you expect a lounge on the way? Maybe a quick massage?"

The guardian bridled at my sarcasm. I was insulting him, it seemed. He dived towards me, coming face to face. I could smell the blood on his breath.

"What I was expecting was for the Master Emerald to survive!" he hissed.

What?!

I got a sudden sinking feeling in my chest. I turned to look at the Master Emerald on its shrine.

It was barely glowing; just a very faint green tinge was surrounding what was otherwise a grey rock.

Oh no…

I regretted my harsh words to Knuckles now. He had saved my life when I lost all hope, and what did I do? Destroy the Master Emerald.

I felt sick. How could I ever make up for this?

"Uh, Shadow…"

How can he bring himself to speak to me? I don't deserve it…

"Shadow!"

"Yes?"

"Could you stop, uh, hugging me please?"

Oops. I reared back, letting him go from my embrace. I didn't remember even doing it.

Knuckles blinked. He rubbed his arms, and touched his chest. He stared into space for a moment. Eventually his eyes found me again.

"Uh, it's not that bad. It'll just take time to recover, that's all." He got up shakily, and limped over to the Master Emerald. He put his palm onto it, and if I strained my hearing, I could hear him whistling to it gently.

Could he communicate with the jewel? Or was he just eccentric? I decided it would be wise not to ask.

A quick test proved I could now stand. My strength had returned.

"Knuckles, I'll go find Amy."

He nodded distractedly, still stroking the Master Emerald. I felt lightweight all of a sudden, remembering where I had seen that before. Maria used to do that to me when I was little, after a bad dream I had…

The backs of my eyes became hot, and I turned away, unable to bear it anymore.

Think of Amy, think of Amy, think of Amy.

Her pink hair exploded into my minds eye, and I grabbed at it, wanting to keep it there. I remember when she used to wear a red dress. How times change, now she wore black trousers and a grey hooded top.

That's right, keep thinking like this, don't think of bad things. Rouge always said to try and think positive.

Rouge… sister…

No! Find Amy, find Amy!

She couldn't be far; I doubted my teleport would take her away from Knuckles. The two were together at the time.

I jumped from the altar, landing softly in the grass. I should be able to detect the dissipating chaos energy if I simply walked around the area.

My shoes sent soft pats through the air, landing in my ears with a quiet swoosh of sound. The flowers were full of colour, and that bird was still singing.

Then I saw her.

She was lying, unmoving, in a little circle of flowers. She was facing away from me. She looked so fragile surrounded by the flowers, her feminine shape winding around the stalks of the plants.

I suddenly came to, blinking in the sunlight. How long had I been standing there? I looked around to see if Knuckles had seen me, but he hadn't. I ran to Amy's side, lifting her into my arms to face me.

"Amy?" I said quietly. Did I not want to be heard? Speak louder, Shadow!

"Amy?" I felt as though the breeze was louder than me. I gently shook her. "Wake up, Amy."

Strangely enough, she seemed in much better condition than when I last saw her. Her leg had now healed, the only evidence of its existence being her ripped trouser leg, the pink fur visible.

Various other cuts I remembered being there were gone as well, and I brushed her hair away from her face to check her forehead.

For some reason, brushing her hair felt good. I did it again, taking off my glove to capture the sensation.

Snap out of it! What do you think will happen if she wakes up to this, huh?

I hefted her up, holding her in my arms as I turned to retrace my steps back to the shrine.

Amy groaned. My heart stopped. I could feel her heartbeat against my chest, and I could just _sense_ the exact moment when she opened her eyes and realised where she was.

The girl tore herself away from me, and the lack of heat from her against me made the breeze seem that much colder.

Her face was one of disgust. "What are you doing, you pervert?"

_I saved you! I helped you!_ "I, I was…" The words wouldn't come.

"I bet you were holding me like that for ages! You were always jealous of Sonic and me! You're pathetic!" She turned her face away from me, and closed her eyes.

I'm not pathetic, Rouge said I was a great person. I never wanted to hurt you, Amy. I want Rouge back. She would know what to do.

"Who are you to call him pathetic?"

Knuckles! My head shot up.

"Shadow protected the world. He defeated Black Doom, he helped stop Metal Sonic, he helped you find Cream when she was lost, and he sacrificed his life to stop the ARK from falling. You call such heroism pathetic?"

Amy mouthed at the echidna. She seemed horrified at his bloodied appearance.

"Not only has Shadow lost the ones he called family _twice_, and suffered from mental anguish and amnesia, but someone he should be calling friend thinks he's pathetic? How much would he have to do before he is considered a hero in your eyes, Amy?"

Knuckles had walked right up to her, staring her down. She wilted at his iron gaze. "And his only crime? To be a real hero. To be a selfless hero who would save lives without thinking about it, to whom the possibility of not saving lives is an impossible thought."

Knuckles grimaced. "But some blue hedgehog thought he was too much of a hero. Muscling in on his god-given right to be worshipped by a fawning population!"

Knuckles was slowly circling Amy now, still talking in that monotone. Amy pivoted, unable to stop following him.

"Sonic deliberately warped everyone's minds to believe Shadow was a bad guy, that he, Sonic, was the only hero, the strongest and the best. Jealousy," Knuckles stopped walking, "made him make sure we all conveniently forgot all the things he'd done. Sonic was the Faker all along, Amy."

I felt the tears in my eyes. I could think of no words to say. So this is the Knuckles that Rouge knew.

Amy's face kept moving, unable to settle on an expression. "Sonic… is…"

"Look at me, Amy!" Knuckles yelled, spreading his arms in front of him. "Is this what you thought being a hero was? Do I deserve this? Did Rouge deserve to die? Did anyone deserve to die? Did Tails deserve what he got?" Knuckles stood there, bleeding, his wounds obvious.

Amy mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"…No…"

"Who was the one giving the orders then? Who was the one who grinned all the time, who was the one who demanded to save the day because he was the _hero_? Who was the one who never showed you the tiniest bit of love, yet revelled in the cameras? _Who is responsible?_"

There was silence. Not even the wind was here anymore. The flowers had all turned away; even the grass seemed more dull. I did not dare to move.

Amy started to cry. I could sense it just before it happened, the world stopped for a moment and I just knew. The tears silently poured down her cheeks as she stared at Knuckles.

She opened her mouth to speak, only to close it again. She screwed her eyes shut, making the rivers of tears split and flow on the soft pink furred cheeks.

I carefully dried her tears with my ungloved hand. I didn't want to see her cry. She opened her eyes and looked at me in surprise.

What am I doing?! Amy was looking at me, watching me dry her tears. I made to pull away, but she took my hand and moved it back. I felt my own cheeks flush.

Knuckles spoke again. I had forgotten he was there. "Who's the real hero, Amy?"

I couldn't look away from her eyes. Those eyes, green as the grass around her. I never knew how long we stood there, not realising that Knuckles had left with his answer ages ago, satisfied.

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**S: I really hope this chapter didn't suck. Romance is something I've never done before, and the fact that it was mostly unintentionally written in really bugged me. Unfortunately this was the best way I could think of to approach the problem of convincing Amy. **

**The romance will not continue. This is not supposed to be a story about romance, so this will be the only time I mention it in the story, barring a few passing references.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. The Beginning of the End

**S: Hello again, everybody. After everybody seemed to love the last chapter, I am wondering if this one is as good. To be honest, I don't think it is, but then again, I generally say something similar at the beginning of every chapter, don't I?**

**Please, sit back, and enjoy.**

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_"How could you let them escape?! You had them in the palm of your hand, yet you failed me!"_

_"Give me another chance! I will succeed next time!"_

_The man paced around the small room, his eyes piercing the inches of steel in the walls, and the gloomy darkness. He stopped at these words, looking down at the other speaker._

"_One ship! I will repay this failure! Please!"_

_Those bold words rebounded throughout the room, across the gap between Dr Robotnik and Miles Prower. They slowly echoed and died, as if frightened to continue exposing their calls to the ears of the formidable scientist._

"_Very well. But do not fail me again!"_

_The fox nodded, grateful for this second chance. "I will not."_

It had been six hours and I _still_ hadn't found that damn island! How hard could it be to find one stupid little floating junk pile in the sky? The Master Emerald's signature should be all over the place!

Yet it just, wasn't, _there_!

_Why_?

My fingers dig into the hard leather of the seat. The material is completely oblivious to my rage, which only serves to increase it. I shall have this chair destroyed.

If I didn't find the island…

Stop panicking! It can't hide forever! It _must _be here somewhere! It is only a matter of time, don't worry, the scanners will find the Master Emerald, the ship goes there, I press the fire button, boom. No more island, no more _failure_, no more memories of my worthless life before.

This seat is very uncomfortable. I shift, but no matter where I am, it still feels horrible. I have to find something to do. Something to distract me. Anything. My stomach feels like it's eating itself.

I've already gone over the ships specifications a million times. I felt a small surge of pride that my master could trust me enough to grant me a battleship. A mile in length from end to end, and half a mile across, this ship would be more than sufficient to turn Angel Island into dust. For maximum effect I could fire at the Emerald Altar, the backbone of the island.

I would love to watch it crumble, taking that echidna and his allies with it to the extremely solid and unwelcoming earth. I could see it already in my mind, but I knew I just had to see it in person.

Perhaps looking at some of the robot crew's designs might help ease my frustration. I look around at the bridge.

Large windows in the front and to the side allow me to see the clouds, as well as the light blue of the sky. The interior is mostly red, the rest of it metallic grey and black. The robots manning the controls are unfamiliar to me, but it is likely they are basic workers, completely devoid of interesting features.

Aaah! I need something to do! Hmmm…

Why have I not found it yet? Perhaps there is a reason, one that I can use to while away this needless waiting by discovering how the island is hiding. Let me see…

The notion of the island not being here is inconceivable, the echidna would never leave it farther away than was necessary. That meant that it had to be here. It is likely that it was where they fled to as well; I had already checked that broken down old 'base'.

I feel the tug at my mouth as the elation makes me grin. How short-sighted I had been until he found me there. Living with imbeciles, my abilities were going unrecognised. They never cared, never knew what I did for them.

But now I am recognised. I am appreciated. They will pay.

The Doctor opened my eyes to how stupid they truly were, and how ungrateful they were to my inventions. What did they know about how a plane worked? How an Emerald Radar did what it did?

He did though, and it feels so good now that someone understands. But it won't matter if I can't find Angel Island.

He will lose faith in me, and I can't bear that. I won't let myself fail, for the sake of his trust in me.

This time they will not escape with that damn teleport trick.

Wait! Of course! Shadow didn't have a Chaos Emerald when he used Chaos Control. But to transport far enough away without one, he would at least need some sort of power source.

The guardian! How much chaos energy must be soaked into his measly fur after all those years of guarding that rock? Heh, if that was what Shadow used, then I would give a lot to see what the echidna looked like after that experience.

If the connection with the Master Emerald was used to initiate Chaos Control, then there will be a distinctive signature that the teleport emitted when they arrived at their destination, what with such an incredible power source.

Ah, the satisfaction of a plausible theory! My limbs are electrified, and my stomach becomes tight with anticipation. A tingle runs through my body, and I jump up from my seat, actually leaving the floor for a moment. I feel invincible!

"Stop the search!" The robots look at me. The power!

"Re-calibrate the sensors! Search for the aftermath of Chaos Control!" The robots scuttle around to do my bidding. I have never felt so alive!

I stare at the clouds. Be murky all you want, bags of rain, your secret will soon be laid bare!

You may as well show yourself, Angel Island! I'm _coming for you_! I half expected it to come out of the clouds right there and then; sulking like a child before a dental appointment.

On second thoughts, don't come out just yet. Let me _drag_ you out, it will be so much sweeter.

Perhaps I shall claim the Master Emerald for my master, as an assurance that I will never fail again. I will keep his trust, his friendship. I will never fail again, and I will never lose his friendship.

"Chaos energy pattern Theta found."

"Excellent! I knew it! Full speed to the location of the anomaly!"

The clouds get torn from their lofty perch in the sky as the ship moves forward. It would not be long now.

"Approximately one minute to arrival."

Nothing can protect you now, Angel Island. I can't decide whether to simply blow you up, or let the troops deal with you. This time I will succeed in my mission.

The island exploded into view, the poor white fluffs vainly attempting to shield it. There was something odd about the position of the vast land.

No wonder I couldn't find it simply by searching, the island was barely hovering enough to qualify as a floating island. I sat back down and typed at my armrest console to take a closer look.

As I zoomed in on where I was confident was the location of the altar, I came across an image of flowers. Standing in these flowers were a pink figure and a black one, close together. How cute.

Another figure, red, was walking away from them, towards the altar. At the sight of the Master Emerald I could not help but gasp. It was almost grey! It looked like it had barely any power at all!

No wonder it was undetectable. Quite an extraordinary set of circumstances really. However, seeing as the Master Emerald was now worthless…

My hands curl into fists, now comes the retribution. Amy Rose looked up, straight at me. I watched her mouth open wide, and I looked upon her expression of fear with the utmost delight.

Shadow had turned now. His eyes widened as well, but it seemed more out of surprise than fear. Do you not know what is happening, you fool?

I watched Knuckles turn. His expression was infuriatingly calm. Are you so arrogant that you cannot see the power of technology? The power I gladly wield?

Do you still not respect me, right until the end?

The vile echidna _turned away_.

My blood boils, and I rip the leather from the seat. My teeth long for his throat. I growl deeply, leaning into the screen.

I will show you what you sneered at now! I only hope you realise your folly as you are _incinerated_!

"Fire the main cannon!" I point at the altar. "Right there!"

I spent years labouring with machines for you to use, only for you to throw it in my face. Today the insult is repaid.

_Die_!

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**S: I find it much more difficult to make Tails' chapters long, because all he can do is talk to himself, really. There's no other character to interact with, to help describe the scene.**

**Ah well, I hope this chapter was good. Until next time, and thanks for reading!**


	9. The Attack on Angel Island

**S: In case nobody noticed, I have been on holiday and have now returned! Obviously. Behold this next chapter, which I had to rewrite because of damned romance! Argh! I still didn't manage to get it out, though, because without it, the events were too rushed. I will make every effort to discontinue the romance in later chapters, because I don't think it belongs in this story.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.**

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Why did I never notice his eyes before…? They're so deep, such a brilliant red. Everything else is so fuzzy now, I can't tell whether it's my tears or not.

He dries my cheeks with his hand. I love the warm feeling, he is so gentle, so different from the hedgehog I knew.

Who am I kidding? I never knew him. I never knew anyone, not even Sonic. Sonic never looked at me like this, never cared when I cried, always left me behind.

Sonic didn't love me…

So why did I think he did? Why did I chase him, knowing he would just run off again, faster than I could follow? Why did I continue to chase him?

He liked it though. He liked to see me running after him, knowing that no matter what he did, I would continue to run.

I don't remember anything before meeting him, nothing of my family, any friends I might have had before. I look back on my life, and it's all dominated by a hedgehog with blue fur.

Why did I love him if it was obvious he didn't love me back? He broke my heart so many times, but I would pick up the pieces and glue them together again and again, desperate for one last look, one last smile…

He was a drug, and I was an addict.

Shadow moves his hand to the other side of my face, to dry my other cheek. Nobody ever did this to me before. I take a step towards him, closer to him. His eyes lock with mine again, but he still touches my cheek with incredible precision.

I want to be loved. Please love me.

Shadow's black fur contrasts with the blue sky, and it makes him seem angelic. His quills are so defined, the red meeting the black with perfection.

He moves his hand away from my face, down to his side again. I reach up and touch my cheek, and it is dry.

Suddenly the grass I'm standing on seems so inadequate. I look at the grass he's standing on, and it is so much greener. I want to stand there now, right next to him.

I hear my jacket rustle as I move my head, to look at his eyes again. I really want to move closer, but I don't want to make him run away. Sonic always ran away.

I don't want Shadow to run away either.

Please don't run away.

I step again, right next to him. He is several inches taller than me, and I have to crane my neck. I take his hand in my own, and bring it closer to me. Shadow doesn't resist, he just looks at me. He still hasn't put his glove back on, and the fur on his hand is very smooth.

His gaze switches to his hand, the one I hold, and he wraps his fingers around my own. I suddenly feel the urge to take off my own glove, and hold his hand properly. I look up again, and something in the sky catches my eye.

It's one of Robotnik's ships! I can see it moving towards us, and I feel so small and helpless. I imagine the thousands of guns aimed at me right now, and my heart seems to shrink in my chest as I shiver.

Shadow looks confused, and as he turns to look, his eyes widen. His grip on my hand tightens considerably, and I hold tighter as well, feeling a bit better for it.

Shadows head whips round, but he looks past me.

"Knuckles!" His voice is sharp and urgent. I turn around, blinking. Where did Knuckles go?

Then I see him. He looks up at the rapidly approaching battleship with a blank, calm face that doesn't mesh with his injured appearance. Doesn't he care?

Instinctively I dive at Shadow, wrapping my arms around him tightly. He gasps, but I hold on, fighting the sudden heat on my face. "What are we going to do?" I squeak, as if anything could be done.

"Wha… bu… we… er…" Shadow stutters. I feel him change his position slightly, and I screw my eyes shut. I don't want to see my impending death with a giant shot from a cannon.

"Quickly, to the altar."

"Right." Shadow takes my arms and unwraps them as if I was made of paper, and before I know it he's carrying me in his arms as we run towards the altar. His feet pound in the grass, making soft repetitive thumps in the long blades.

The grass is remarkably well kept, and the trees around the meadow complement the flower's colour scheme very nicely. Knuckles must be an excellent gardener.

…Why did I just think that?

We get to the altar, and Knuckles just stands there, looking up at the monstrous ship. It was _very_ close now, and I could see the giant death bringing cannons aiming at us. Knuckles just looked at it, and I twisted in Shadow's grip to see him looking at Knuckles, complete trust in his eyes.

We didn't move. The cannons were glowing.

Knuckles still didn't move. I tried to get out of Shadow's arms, but he tightened up like steel, pinning me to his chest. I found myself looking at his chest fur.

Why weren't we moving? Did nobody realise we were about to _die_? I began to panic, wildly thrashing around to escape from Shadow's suicidal grip. Let me go!

He just gripped tighter than ever, actually hurting me now. I gasped at the sudden pain, and he immediately slackened his grip, looking at me with concerned eyes. There was no fear.

Shadow wouldn't let me die. I'm safe here… completely safe… relax, Amy… it'll be alright…

A boom sounded as the main cannon fired directly at us, and I screamed. Knuckles swept round in a semicircle, his dreadlocks flaring wildly, and he hit one of the pillars on the altar with his palm.

An enormous yellow explosion seared my eyes, and I was blinded. I breathed heavily, coughing through smoke I couldn't see. I could still feel Shadow's hands, and I grabbed him, determined not to let go.

Ever so slowly, my vision returned, but I couldn't hear anything above a ringing in my ears. I could make out Knuckles talking to Shadow above me, his mouth moving with no words coming out. What just happened?

I held Shadow. As long as he's here, I'm safe. I will never let go.

The sky came back. It was now a dull green, but I could still see the battleship hovering near the island. It was like looking through a rippling pond. My gaze turned down, and my blood froze.

The garden had been obliterated. A black streak on burnt ash surrounded us on all sides for a hundred yards, and beyond that, the trees were stained a dark grey. We were right where the blast hit. I curled up tightly into a ball, imagining myself being disintegrated, each limb disappearing in microseconds but the agony being eternal. My mouth went dry as I shivered, despite Shadow's warmth.

"I'll… to use the… ence mecha… stop the… hold it o… ver…"

"… distract it… you… the po… to fire again…"

The two of them nodded, serious expressions on their faces. They paid me no attention as I stared at them, silently asking for information. Knuckles turned and palmed another pillar on the altar, and Shadow staggered slightly as the middle of the altar started to descend.

The three of us went lower and lower, and eventually the ship disappeared from my vision. I felt much safer now that I couldn't see it, I figured that now it couldn't see me either, so it couldn't horribly rip me into a million pieces with its weapons.

I loosened my hold on Shadow's neck, only now realising how tight it was. I looked at him, asking to be let down. He carefully lowered me, kneeling as he did so. He leaned forward as he turned me around, and I felt a jolt when his face went very close to me.

I rubbed my ears to get the ringing away, but to my annoyance, it didn't. Shadow smiled slightly at my childish antics. I looked around, and studied my environment.

We were in a rapidly lengthening vertical cylinder, the stone walls constantly moving upwards as we went down. I felt motion sick looking at it, so I concentrated on the floor.

It was just the floor of the altar, the usual weird symbols on it and the small shrine where the Master Emerald was.

The Master Emerald! It wasn't glowing! What was wrong with it? I reached out a hand towards it, but Knuckles slapped my wrist away. He spoke to me.

"Don't tou… Mast… merald! It's ver… k now and I ha… recha… it!"

"?" I wanted to say 'What?' but I couldn't hear my own words.

The guardian just rolled his eyes and turned away. He seemed to sigh, but I couldn't tell for sure. I looked at Shadow for help. He smiled at me and walked towards me, holding out his hand. I took it hesitantly, marvelling at how his hand seemed to encase mine completely. He still hadn't put on his glove, and for some reason that caused me to blush.

The black hedgehog pulled me close to him, and talked directly into my ear.

"Knuckles says that he could reflect the shot with the island's defences, but without the Master Emerald fully charged, he can't fire back. We have to go to the Hidden Palace to recharge it quickly, before an army of robots overwhelms us." He pulled back for a moment. I nodded for him to continue.

"We're going there now. Knuckles says if we can distract the robots long enough, he can destroy the ship. I'm going to-"

He broke off. I looked in his eyes, and I could see the tiniest hint of worry. What was wrong? The plan didn't seem that bad.

He looked away from me quickly and covered his face. The penny dropped. He was going to 'distract' the robots, but he probably wouldn't survive.

No! I don't want that! I'll go with you! I'll help you! I'll…

He turned, still holding my hand. His dark red eyes melted my mind of all resistance, and all I could do was nod.

He let go of my hand, and the sudden cold was jarring. Then the platform suddenly stopped, and I lost my balance and fell over. Shadow caught me before I hit the ground, but he didn't meet my eyes. I could see his lips tremble ever so slightly as he righted me, then without a word, turned and followed Knuckles down the passageway.

I was left to follow in their wake, feeling much worse than I had on the surface.

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**S: Well, I hope it was good. I'm not sure whether Amy's perpective is my strong point or not. **

**I'd like to say that I thought of this story ages ago, before I knew that Angel Island, in certain media, could actually do this. I'm pretty certain that in one of the continuities, Angel Island does possess weapons and stuff, but I only found this out recently, so although it seems like a rip-off, it isn't.**

**But anyway, thanks for reading!**


	10. The Goodbye

**S: Hmm... I don't like this one, but I can't put my finger on why... anyway, in case you haven't guessed, this is the next chapter! Please, sit back and enjoy.**

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Knuckles opens the door to the next room. It makes a muted stone thump at first, then a grinding echo as he pushes it open almost fully. I look at the floor, expecting dust, but it is pristine. The air has a slightly damp texture, uninhabited.

Knuckles walks inside without a backwards glance. I follow him, and Amy catches up as I make my way inside. I turn towards her instinctively, but I manage to stop myself halfway. If I see her, I know that I won't be able to look away from her.

I whip my head back to facing forward and step inside. I _feel_ her face collapse behind me at the movement.

I must seem so uncaring…

I don't want her to suffer because of me. I mustn't look. _'Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.' _It didn't sound convincing even back when I heard it.

Amy takes my hand. My arm shivers, and the soft presence is withdrawn instantly as if I had shouted at her. I find myself listening for a sob, but there is only silence…

And that makes it ten times worse.

I turn round and stare into her eyes. She holds protectively against her chest the hand that touched me before, her green irises shining, her form shivering almost imperceptibly.

"Amy…"

"Why do you have to go?" she blurted.

I can't bear to look at her anymore. But I can't look away. She is so helpless. Her mouth forms the word 'why' over and over, and no answer seems good enough for her.

_I'm doing this to save the world. _

_I want to protect you. _

_I want to do this so that you don't have to._

_I don't want you to get hurt._

I open my mouth slowly. Amy's eyes widen excruciatingly with every tiny movement I make. Her eyes paralyse me…

"I've put the Master Emerald in the right place."

I blink quickly, and I take a deep breath. Knuckles would have had to pass us twice in order to fetch the emerald and place it down. Was I that taken in…?

I won't be again. I turn away promptly and firmly, looking at the red guardian.

He is adjusting the giant jewel on an altar, elevated from the floor by several feet. The Master Emerald is surrounded by dozens of small green crystals, and I notice that the green glow has strengthened slightly on contact with them.

Other, smaller altars surround this one, though they are no less elegant. There are seven of them, in a pattern around the main one in the centre. I look at the surroundings of this room, and I gasp.

There are no walls. The ceiling is extremely high up. Endless dark rocks, shaped by millennia, fade into the black horizon of this gargantuan chamber. A grey light outlines some of them, but even this fades into the impossible distance. The rocks loom above me, staring down at me. I feel like an invader.

"What is this place?" The rocks are listening, I'm sure of it.

"This is the Hidden Palace. The original shrine of the Master Emerald, and the conduit for the island's power."

"It's creepy," Amy whispered.

Knuckles looked down at her. His eyes narrowed. "The holy shrine of the Master Emerald, where countless echidnas have tread for generations of history, is _creepy_?"

Amy recoiled as if struck. Perhaps you're used to it, Knuckles, but she won't be!

'It does have a strange feeling about it. I can sense much power here, yet also… watchers."

Knuckles smiled, his lips turning up slightly.

"All the previous guardians still watch this place, you know. A guardian's duty does not end with mere death."

I grow cold as he says that, and I see Amy shaking from the corner of my eye. It takes all my energy not to immediately comfort her.

Amy got it just right. The eyes all around, the sheer size and silence of this place, and the smiling guardian standing in front of a giant glowing jewel with dried blood all over him. Creepy.

"Let us return to the problem at hand. Where do you want me to go?"

Knuckles' face returns to its normal impassive look. He points to back outside the room and speaks. "You turn right outside that door and follow it. There will be a left turning. Take it, and you will go to the surface. I'm sure you know the rest."

I nod, and swivel on my skates, preparing to slide away.

"No, Shadow!"

_Amy… please don't stop me…_

"Please, don't go!"

_I have to!_

"I'll… I'll…"

_Don't…_

"I'll miss you."

My feet pivot me around to face Amy. I stare at her feet, her black boots and black pants sharp against the dull blue stone.

"Amy!"

Knuckles' voice rings out again, and I take my chance. I don't even see the door as I burst through, I don't feel the stone beneath my feet, I don't feel the stale air rushing through my fur, I don't feel the sting on my eyes.

My mind is back with Amy in the altar room, missing her already. I hear her cries behind me, and I push forward in greater speed, leaving behind the last caring voice I will ever hear.

The walls blur to dark blue, quick blots of colour signifying carvings in the stone, prophecies and ancient writing. I want to look at them, but I cannot. I must fight the approaching army to buy Knuckles enough time.

If only I had a weapon! Something to help me destroy the robots, providing a distraction that must be dealt with!

I turn left, easily changing direction and skating down the tunnel. The walls have changed now. The carvings are more frequent, and more intricate. Could I be nearing the surface?

I run into a room. It is a square, about ten feet by ten. The path continues ahead, and I can see the hints of daylight in the distance, and a cool breeze from the altitude. This room is a rainbow mix of colour, reds, greens, blues, and yellows, spanning the ceiling and the floor as well as the walls in one giant picture.

There are some objects on the floor. A collection, it seems, of Knuckles' belongings. This room is probably a stash of things he finds precious to him, collected over the years. I do not wish to intrude on such a place.

Then why would he send me this way?

My gaze drifts over the belongings, and my eyes fall upon one of the most magnificent vehicles I have ever seen. I stagger over to it, my hand outstretched to touch it and prove its material existence.

I touch the seat of the bike, running my hand over the firm leather. The many pipes on the body twirl around each other like in a dance, the breathtaking style contrasting with the old carvings on the wall. This was a masterpiece of design, a powerful turbo complementing a sturdy engine, and mounted machine guns on the front. I don't know much about building machines, but I know a craft of love when I see one. This was a gift, built by someone who cared very much.

Does it have fuel? I lean over and check, my hands finding it easily, as if it was natural. It is full. The whole vehicle is polished and oiled with obsessive care, yet it gives the impression of being here for years.

Perhaps Knuckles meant for me to use this. I could cause a lot of damage with this bike. I grin, chaos energy tingling through my limbs as I visualise the destruction. I exhale very deliberately, and move my tongue over my sharp teeth.

Then I get on, and start it up. The bike comes to life with a satisfying roar, and I dive towards the light, ready for one hell of a last stand.

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**S: I hope you liked it. If you have any thoughts about this chapter, like my nagging feeling that there's something wrong with it, I would be most grateful if you would share.**

**Until next time, and thanks for reading!**


	11. The Game is Set

**S: Yay! I have written another chapter! Again, I hope you guys like it! I would love to say that I am supremely confident that this is good, but I would be lying. I always have misgivings... sigh...**

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"Amy!"

As I suspected, she turns to me for a fraction of a second, and Shadow bolts out the door. She yells and attempts to follow, but I am already prepared.

I hijack the Chaos energy running through the chamber for a moment, and the door shuts before she can get out. I watch as she hits it running, determinedly trying to push the door open again.

"It's no good, it's locked."

Amy whips her head around to face me for a moment, her eyes streaming with tears, and then brings out her hammer and strikes the door.

BOOM.

It doesn't budge. She swings again.

BOOM.

"Aaaaahhh!" Amy screams as loud as she can. The door watches with disinterested indifference to her pleas.

BOOM.

The engravings on the door aren't even cracked, still a flowing pattern of green and blue, just the same as they were before.

BOOM.

"It won't work," I tell her quietly. She shudders as if I had yelled the words at her, and she prepares for another swing.

Suddenly the hammer disappears, and the girl falls to her knees. I can't see her face, but I can hear the sound of crying. My own eyes prick with sharp heat as her despair permeates the room. This chamber was always special. The blue colour on the floor does nothing to ease my feelings. Not even the decorative flower shaped white and green altar I stand on does anything for me when I look at it.

Amy struggles for air through her sorrow, and lets out one word.

"Why…?"

A shiver goes through my body like I had jumped into an icy river.

"Why…?"

I feel my cheeks get wet, but I can't look away from her. Her shoulders are shaking like a lost child, and I regret my actions of moments ago. I watch her cry into the floor and I listen to her sobs and I feel so small. The eyes of the room watch the terrible display of emotion, and feel pity.

But they only feel pity, not compassion. I let the tears out, wanting nothing more than to jump down onto the cold stone and take her up in my arms and tell her it'll be alright.

My heart wrenches as I think that. I'd be lying. It won't be alright, not now, not ever. Nothing about separating two people like that is right. But…

…it had to be done. I gave him all I could.

It takes me a moment to realise Amy has stopped crying. The silence is unsettling, and I watch her slowly raise herself to her feet again. Then she half turns to me.

Her eyes lock with mine, the green eyes in the pink face reaching me with incredible clarity. She is not crying, although her cheeks are wet. Her mouth is set in a firm line, and her eyes are now cold and hard. A memory from long ago surfaces in my mind.

A blue hedgehog, standing about where she is now, looking up at me with eyes of emerald steel. He had just came here with his 'lil bro', and I was attempting to repel the intruders. At that time, we had only just met, and I only saw him and his companion as yet more thieves.

I get a bitter taste in my mouth. I had thought at the time Sonic was looking at me like that because I refused to hand over the Master Emerald. Now I realise it was because nobody had struck him like I just had for a long, long time. He was used to being worshipped, even then, and I was the guardian of Angel Island who had never heard of him, and had even dared to _strike_ him? Him? Sonic the Hedgehog? How _dare _he?

I hate you Sonic… I wish I had hit much harder…

The vision swims, and Amy reappears. She looks more like him than ever, and I fight hard to remember it is her, not him. She hisses at me in a low voice.

"Let me out…"

I take a firm position. "No."

"_Let me out…_"

"No."

Amy hisses again, and her hammer materialises. It is big and dangerous-looking. But I hold the high ground.

"Even if you knocked me out with that thing, the door wouldn't open. It won't until I want it to."

"We'll see about that, Knucklehead."

The blood drains from my face, causing a sudden pain in my chest from my injuries. _What did she say…?!_

"You… you…"

"Can't take tough talk?"

"_Stop repeating him word for word._"

"Who?"

"_Sonic._"

Amy's eyes went wide. The hammer disappeared. "Ta-take that back." She holds her hands to her chest. Her grey and black attire cruelly makes her stand out more on the blue floor.

I didn't answer immediately, simply looking at her, waiting for my heart to calm down. She looks up at me, worry evident in her face. I watch her body tremble as her panic escalates at my silence. Amy is probably imagining Sonic's face right now, leering at her and whispering in her mind.

"Please take it back. I'm not-" She breaks off amid a strangled noise in her throat. She can't even say his name anymore.

I sigh. "Amy. Don't worry. He can't hurt you anymore."

She doesn't look very reassured. What am I supposed to do, rock her to sleep?

"Snap out of it Amy, we haven't got time for this!" I yell down at her. She yelps and jumps backwards. This subservience won't last long; I'll have to make the most of it. I leap down from the altar, landing on the floor several feet below with a thump.

I grimace at the pain in my side, but I don't let Amy see. I stride towards her, maintaining stern eye contact. She looks at me nervously, like she'd just broken her mother's favourite vase, and I stop right in front of her, taking special care to loom over the girl.

"Right then, Amy, I've got a job for you," I bark, and Amy stiffens. "You need to guard this room for me. I'll be too busy charging up the emerald to defend myself, so I'm counting on you. Once I start, the chaos energy holding the door will fail, so it's your duty to make sure no robots get through. Understand?"

Amy mouthes for a moment. "What about Shadow?"

I make an exaggerated glare in her direction, and 'hmm' disapprovingly. Her gaze remains steady.

"…Don't worry about him. I've made sure he has the best chance for survival that is possible." Providing he's not too polite to 'borrow' that bike I made sure he came across.

Amy's face lights up with hope, and I seize my chance. I grab her arm, open the door, and shove her outside into the chilly corridor. The walls are still a dull bluey green out here as well. Variety was never an echidna speciality.

"They'll probably come from the left path, so be prepared. Me and Shadow are counting on you Amy!" She turns with a smile, but it suddenly disappears as she realises what just happened. As she opens her mouth to protest, I give her my best reassuring smile and close the door.

Pep talks. Not my style at all. I'll be tasting that in my mouth for days.

Provided there are days.

I turn to the Master Emerald, and I see with relief it is already looking healthier than when I last looked. I can almost see it smiling at me, and the melody of its communication flows in my ears. It is ready. The game is set.

I ignore my injuries, and leap onto the altar. A droplet of blood oozes from my side, and drips onto the white flower shape. I watch as it moves along, compelled by gravity to join the floor in an everlasting embrace.

I put my hands up, close my eyes, and open my mind.

The power of the controller engulfs me, and I feel the entirety of the island's vast defences open for my command.

I can see Shadow, already charging towards the front lines of the robotic army. He has the bike. Good.

And Amy is standing outside this room. She looks around, and settles into a guarding position. Good.

Whoever would have guessed a guardian could have some real friends for once…

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**S: That took a lot out of me... Well, I hope you liked it. I have a feeling there's a tiny bit of humour in here somewhere, but it's hiding in the undergrowth and I can't find it. A tracking device would be much appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. The Battle

**S: Hello again everybody, this is S, your friendly neighbourhood fanfiction writer! As you may have guessed, I have at last updated, after a sizeable gap in time since the last one. I hope this one makes up for it, at any rate.**

**...I'll shut up now, and let you read. Please, enjoy.**

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I feel the wind in my face, blowing back my fur with flowing force. It's strange; I never get this feeling while running. Driving is a totally different experience. So invigorating. The sensation of speed is enormous, despite my mind telling me I can run many times as fast as this.

My quills blow back as the wind hits them, and I see the light getting closer and closer. The whistling of the corridor invades my ears, a howling gale tremendous with every wall sculpture I pass. I grow colder with the fresh air.

Then the light explodes all around me, and the texture of the world changes. I am above ground again, travelling towards an army that I must fight alone.

I don't need to hold back. There is no one here that I would not want to hurt, no one I need to protect, no one to save, no one to watch out for. Everything is a target, everything is an enemy.

My blood heats up as my heart strengthens. The feeling accelerates my focus, and I can see twice as far now. There! The front lines!

I put my fingers in the firing position of the mounted guns. They react to my presence, automatically searching for targets. I smile, and feel the wind blow through my teeth. I calculate where I will go, what path I will take. I choose with savage glee… my first target. Blissfully unaware of its impending doom.

I sense my powers awaken inside me at my lust for destruction. It has been so long… too long… since I have done this. The warm tingle overpowers the cold breeze, spreading from my heart to every limb. I feel every muscle in my body, I now know exactly where I am, what I can do, and my surroundings are mine to manipulate.

I depress the triggers. The electrical signal rushes through the carefully crafted circuits of the bike, and the machine guns fire.

The first robot falls. Then the second and third. The fourth topples.

The army sees me. The metal bodies turn towards my rapidly approaching position. I push the bike as fast as it will go, straight towards them. They fire at me, but it is a fruitless gesture. Such a machine cannot be stopped.

Time slows down. Or rather, my reactions speed up. I see their red eyes, the oiled, gleaming metallic bodies in excruciating detail. Each pipe, each rivet, each LED is visible to me in the sunlight.

I take my hands off the handlebars, noting with sorrow that the bike starts to veer instantly. I push myself up, until I am standing on the seat. I can almost feel the bike look at me, a proud warrior willing to do its duty.

And then I jump. Even in the short time I was on it, I feel a bit of myself come away from me as I leave the bike. I watch as it ploughs into the robots, tearing through the metal with a screeching thunder. I float above, watching it carve its path of destruction. Round 1 to me.

I lunge downwards, landing on a robot's head. Before it can react I twist its head off, letting the oil drench me. I rebound as its comrades shoot where I was, destroying the ailing machine.

Ha. Idiots…

I cut through the air with ease, effortlessly flipping around to face the next target. I choose. I dive. Another fountain of black liquid stretches to the blue sky, before being restrained by gravity and splattering to the grass.

It is like a dance. I make my move, they make theirs. I lead, they follow, like sheep. My shoes make contact with another fragile frame, crushing it like a can. My senses, heightened by my chaos powers, alert me to a danger precisely _there_.

I twist in the air, and a missile just misses my body. I already know which robot fired it. _Just you wait_…

Ah, how wonderful it is to destroy! To kill… for her.

Amy rushes into my mind, suffocating my vision. I lose control and hit the ground hard. Only my instincts make me roll to avoid a stamp. I use my momentum to sweep my feet round in an arc. Three fall.

I curse myself for getting carried away. I swing my hand wildly, catching something and throwing it blindly to my side.

But what did I get carried away with? The fight…

…Or Amy?

Another robot attempts to strike me. I barely avoid it and counterattack, spin dashing through its torso and regaining the air as it falls to pieces. I see the clustered grey shapes around me; I know they are going to overpower me. I concentrate, letting the power flow to my wrists and fingers, and I let off a volley of yellow light.

"Chaos… Spear!"

More robots fall at my feet, but others replace them. A never-ending supply. No matter how many I destroy, more come. My eyes stray to the horizon, and my heart plummets as I see nothing but enemies. More… and more… and more…

_"Shadow!"_

_"I'll miss you."_

I'll make sure we meet again! No mere army will stand between me and the woman I… I…

For some reason my sister comes into my mind.

_"How do you know it will work?"_

_"It will. He just needs time."_

_"But how can you know for sure?"_

"_He saved my life. He says he wouldn't have done if I didn't have the Master Emerald with me, but I know he would."_

"_But how? How do you know?"_

_She smiled. "I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand. The moment he grabbed my hand, it broke the spell. I didn't realise until much later, and I still kick myself for being defensive."_

_Rouge smiled at the look of confusion on the hedgehog's face. "Remember Shadow. Don't make that mistake. You'll know what I mean when it happens to you, and you'll know who you care about. Don't push them away. Do what your heart tells you to."_

"_I don't understand…"_

"_You will." Her words faded, only existing for a moment in his ears, but living in his mind forevermore._

I understand now. I have someone I care about. Someone to fight for. Someone to live for.

I want to live! I will not allow myself to die!

The feeling burns deep in my being, and I feel the overwhelming power it brings. Is this… what it feels like…?

I feel it building. The red hot searing power invades my bones, fills my veins, lances my mind and scorches every hair on my body with intense pressure.

I can't hold it in. I must let it out, all in one wave of indescribable strength. I open my mouth to scream, but my mouth forms words instead, and I am utterly powerless in the grip of emotion.

"CHAOS…"

I see all the robots now. All of them firing their petty weapons at me. The bullets go to oblivion against my skin. Their masters will not be far behind.

All around me is red, the grass is burning and the sky is dark. I frame the final word, one I have said before, and will say again, but I somehow know it will never be the same.

"…BLAST!"

All the pent-up energy is released at once, forcing its way through every pore in my skin, ripping out from my body in a shredding vortex of sound and red death.

I scream against the current, helpless in the flow, the epicentre. I feel every part of my body, and I feel all of it begin to disintegrate under the sheer might. My muscles are ripped from their bones, my skin boils and blackens under my flaming fur. The torture never ends, my whole existence is tied to this one moment of agony.

Then the emptiness comes, the polar reversal making me retch. My stomach tightens and I fall to the ground, cracking my head on the black rock. There is nothing anymore, no light, no dark, no sun, no rain, no grass, no trees, no life…

No light, and no shadows. No more shadows… no more shadow…

No more shadow…

Amy takes me in her arms, and her small, bright hands lift me up to my resting place with her.

One more light… perhaps a shadow can find someone to cast with.

* * *

**S: Well then, I hope it was suitably engaging and stuff. Unless the universe conspires against me, the next update won't take so long.**

**Until next time, and thanks for reading!**


	13. The Realisation

**S: Why hello there everyone. It seems you have stumbled upon the latest update. Good for you, old chap, and I hope you have a simply splendid time. I will now stop acting so English.**

**If this update seems late, it's because the universe DID conspire against me, as I feared last chapter. Fortunately though, it was a welcome conspiracy, because it was Super Smash Brothers Brawl that did it. Seriously, that game is awesome. Me and T just bashed down R's front door and played it three days straight. Aaaah... so fun.**

**Anyway, I managed to find the time to write this chapter for you guys. It is much longer than any of the others, so get comfy. I warn you that this chapter may not be what you expected. I'm actually quite concerned, because I have a feeling you're all going to say '...that sucks!', once you read it. Hopefully not, though.**

**By the way, this chapter contains a small amount of language, just to tell you. Only two instances, close to each other, spoken by a character, nothing else.**

**In any case, please, enjoy.**

* * *

This hallway is most definitely conjuring up memories. It is always a strange feeling to look down the alleys of history. However, for me, the alley is partially shrouded in a haze. I can't even remember how many years it's been since I walked these halls. It's all a blur.

A blue blur…

I tighten my hand, nearly crushing the sensor I have there. I imagine it to be his neck, and my hand only tightens, almost beyond my control. I wish I could have done that when he was alive, it would have been so satisfying…

But I mustn't get distracted. I have to keep going, content that at least he is dead, by the hand of the only one who cared. The Doctor has been very kind to me, and I am ever grateful to him for freeing me of Sonic's mind.

The Chaos sensor vibrates in my fist, and without looking at it I know my suspicions were confirmed. This is where the Master Emerald is, just where it was all those years ago…

I smile at the knowledge that I am not walking here with a certain someone. I am alone here, able to stand on my feet without some damn hedgehog needing my hero-worship.

My fingers curl up again as I remember that grin he always used to do. Only afterwards am I able to see how false it was, how self-gratifying. He makes me sick.

But how did I ever fall for his tricks in the first place? I will never forgive him for that. And I will never forgive his faithful companions, partners in his scheme, laughing at me always behind my back.

They never respected my inventions. How fitting that they shall be killed because of them.

I round the next corner, making sure my footsteps are silent. If my memory is accurate, the next corner should lead to the emerald chamber. The bluey-green colour scheme of the wide corridor, as well as the golden carvings on the walls and ceiling evokes nostalgia in me. I crush the sensation instantly. I don't want to repeat that time. I instead look forward to the future, blissfully free of my old 'friends' and in the company of those who care about me, who understand me.

The chambers, endless and repetitive, are gloomy with disuse. I look behind me, and the view of where I came is already smothered in dark fog. Visibility is getting lower and lower. Strange. I don't remember this happening before…

The ground tips beneath me, throwing me off my feet and into one of the walls. A rumble grows in the distance, getting closer and closer. It is now almost pitch black, and the echoes of the chamber denies me, even with my hearing, the direction from which the sound originates.

The rumble grows until it becomes a dull vibration, scratching away at the back of my head. I throw my hands up to my ears to cover them but it is useless. My teeth begin to tingle with the constant vibration, and the rumbling sound is now screeching in my ears. The wall becomes hot suddenly, and I just manage to throw myself away from it before it explodes with bright white light.

The light blinds me, scorching my eyes even with them closed. My whole body is shaking with the intense thudding echoes and my brain feels like it's bouncing around my skull. I feel pain, and my hands become sticky and warm.

What's… going on?

I try to scream, yell, _anything_ to get it to stop but nothing works, my head just seems to get bigger and bigger with the pressure.

Then it stops. Gratefully I slump to the floor, feeling it's inexplicable coolness against my cheek. I gulp in the air of the chamber, and I feel it flow through my lungs and bloodstream, clearing my head. An annoying tickle moves down my face, irritating my fur. I slap at it, but there is nothing there.

Or is there?

I slowly open my eyes. A red blur greets me. The echidna! I leap up and swing my tails around at him, but he disappears. What?

I look around. The chamber is bright again, like it was before. The blurriness in my vision fades with a few quick blinks, and I am alone. Then what was the red…?

Automatically I look at the sensor, but it has been shattered somehow, probably the shaking. However, my hand is covered in red. I recall the warm, sticky feeling on my hands when I had them over my ears. I look at my other hand, and it is the same.

Not a good sign. It appears the sound has made my ears bleed. Unfortunately medical science is not my strong point, and even if it was, I don't have any first-aid with me. Common sense dictates that walking around with bloody gloves and a damaged head is not the best thing in the world to be doing.

I flick up my right tail, and reach inside it, pulling out a small plastic bag. I take my gloves off, and put them and the sensor in it. I use a tissue to mop up where I think the blood is on my head, and I deposit it in the bag, and then the bag back in my tail, where it fits snugly, without any detriment to my manoeuvrability.

…

…I had almost forgotten what it felt like to not wear gloves. Usually I change them fast, if I even have to at all, so the experience is not something I am used to.

…Not any more, at any rate. When I was little, I didn't have the money for gloves. My orange furred hand with white palms was familiar to me, and shoes were not something I was used to either. Then I met Sonic. He gave me gloves, he gave me shoes, he _helped_ me.

But I now know he wouldn't do that. So why did he? Did he genuinely care about me, or was I just a convenient orphan kid who could look cute enough to give him a better media image?

…It doesn't matter. No matter what he was, I know what he became. Even from the beginning if it wasn't relevant to his immediate situation, he ignored it. Even then, the things I made, the things I said… they fell on deaf ears. He didn't care about me. He never did.

I blink, seeing the carving on the wall for the first time, even though I've probably been looking at it for a while. A yellow hedgehog fighting some sort of robot. I remember that, it was there the first time I… was… here…

The emerald chamber is right there! I'm right next to it! My mind becomes full of purpose once again, and I walk forward to the next corner. I recall why I am here. When the interference from the first bombardment had cleared, the emerald altar was deserted. Everything else around it was disintegrated, but the altar was undamaged. There was also a conspicuous lack of hedgehogs, echidnas and shiny glowing rocks, even though I knew they were right there.

Then I remembered the underground altar, the Hidden Palace. In my time on the island, I had learned many things about its ancient technology, and it wasn't hard to guess that they had gone down some sort of passageway to the original resting place of the emerald. Fortunately I had been there before. I sent an attack force on the surface to distract them and maybe even get the Master Emerald, but if they didn't, I could get in from the Lava Reef and open locked doors for them. Then there would be no stopping me, and the island would fall, as my master commanded.

I slowly look around the corner. There is a shape kneeling on the floor, hunched over. Black and grey attire, topped by pink hair. It's Amy. She looks injured, most likely due to the recent tremor. What was that anyway?

No matter, she's alone. And she's in my way, blocking the door to the emerald chamber. My memory floods with all the times she dismissed me to be with Sonic, and my stomach twists in revulsion. She was obviously in on it all along, enjoying my suffering at that hedgehog's hands. I grin, and my body warms in anticipation.

Now I get to enjoy her suffering.

I flick my tails in a circular motion, initiating flight. I gently hover above the floor, and move closer to her. I watch her put her head in her hands, and her shoulders slump with pain. Her breathing is erratic and heavy, and as I get to within five feet of her, she groans.

In a sudden wave of inspiration, I offer her my hand. She sees it and takes it without question, and I help her to her feet. My grin can't get any bigger than it already is, but my arm starts to shake from her sheer idiocy. I possess such power over her, and she doesn't even know it's me!

She steadies herself on her feet, the black boots rocking back and forth. She still has one hand on her forehead, the other in my gloveless hand. I very carefully move my hand so it is visible from her perspective. I sense her heart quicken and I can almost _feel_ her eyes widen as she sees the orange fur. The only one who has orange fur is…

Amy gasps and looks up, straight at me. I have never felt so fantastic in my entire life. Her face drowns in fear and she attempts to run away, but I clench her hand in my fist until I hear a grinding noise. She yelps and instinctively grabs my fist with her free hand, but I am unmovable.

"Hello there, Amy."

Her green eyes meet my own, and I see her fear. "H-hi, Tails."

She called me Tails. Sonic gave me that name.

"Don't call me that!" I snarl at her. Another slow crunch comes from her hand as I increase the pressure on it. Her breathing becomes rapid and she just barely manages not to scream. Suddenly her second hand comes away from my own, as if she'd given up the struggle.

What the… argh!

I grab my face against the attack, and I leap backwards. I open my right eye, the left one having been put out of action. It already has a stinging throb in the left side of my face. I guess she's not so helpless as she appears.

Amy put her hands together, massaging the one I had crushed. Her teeth clench together as she slowly retreats from me to put her back against the door.

"You little bitch…"

"D-don't… just… stay away!"

I growl through my teeth, letting my fur rise on the back of my neck. You've just earned yourself a slow death, hedgehog. It'll take days before that eye can see again.

I straighten, carefully taking my hand away from my face. I blink experimentally, but it is useless; my vision is distorted on the left hand side, possibly permanently. Amy will pay for that.

She whimpers as I advance towards her, and she tries to push through the door itself in her effort to get away. Weakling…

"That was a lucky shot, Amy. You won't get lucky again." She doesn't answer. "I'll make it easy for you then. I want to get in that room, and you're in my way. Killing you would make my day, so if you want to live, then _move_."

Amy swallows hard, and I can see her fur grow shiny from perspiration. Her knees quake, fighting to move. But she doesn't.

"Why do you not move? Surely it can't be that you care about something that isn't blue and runs really fast?"

I am totally unprepared for her next move. Her shivering stops and she stares at me, bearing an incredible likeness to the blue hedgehog. She pushes off from the door and simply charges at me. I dodge her wild swing easily, and kick her in the face. She spins like a top in the air and crashes to the floor.

"Oh, sorry Amy. Did I offend my masters? Did I perhaps insult the memory of that bastard and his equally hateful allies? I should think I deserve to for all the times I suffered while you just laughed at me!"

I give her a sharp kick. She just lies there. "Why is it that you _never _cared? Why is it that you made fun of me behind my back and never liked me for my talents? I spent… all that time… building things for _you people_ and you never once…" I break off, my voice cracking. Where is my hatred? It was once so strong, but now… all I feel is longing.

I want things to be back the way they were. I want friends again.

NO!

It's a trick! Well, it won't work this time! Tears stream down my face, and I bare my teeth at how horrible their lies make me feel. I kick Amy again, this time in the face, toes first. She cries out in pain, and I kick her again, and again, wanting her and my past to go away and leave me alone.

I stumble backwards, and hit something behind me. I lean on it gratefully, overcome by a sudden desire to collapse. "You never liked me…" The words just come from nowhere, and I wonder why I said it.

Amy stirs. She puts one hand palm first on the floor. Then, with agonising slowness, her second hand too, is put on the floor, palm down. Her arms shake as they support her weight, and she slowly gets to her knees. Then one leg moves, to put a foot on the floor. I can see her fur from a rip in the trousers. Strange. How could she heal that fast?

The other foot is manoeuvred into position, and with her arms for balance, Amy pushes herself into a standing position. She sways alarmingly from side to side, her eyes unfocused and her face covered in blood. With a slow movement of her hand, she wipes the blood from her face, and focuses on me.

"What makes you think… we never cared?"

What? What do you mean?

"You're so selfish. So Sonic lied to you. Big deal. You were the sidekick. I was a girl who thought she loved him. How do you think I feel, knowing that he lied to me too?"

Before I can think, Amy takes a step towards me. "And I… finally break free, without ever knowing I was trapped, and what do you do to my saviour? You send an army, so he has no choice but to sacrifice himself to protect me." She stuttered at this point, and moved in very close to me. Her eyes, so full of fear before, are now dead and indifferent; as if I was nothing but the wall I'm leaning on.

She took a breath. "How dare you even for one second think that you were alone. Everyone was under his spell, not just you! Don't you realise that?"

My voice returns to me with a swoop. "But you always laughed at my inventions! You would see the things I made, and you would never congratulate me, oh no! You have no idea how to make an Emerald Radar work, or a plane, or a motorbike! You know nothing about me, but you expect me to just take it? The fact that I'm unappreciated doesn't matter to you at all, does it?"

Amy breathes in. And then, she breathes out. She leans in closer, filling my vision.

"You're right."

I am? I mean, of course I am!

But how come?

"I don't know how to make a plane work, or a bike, or anything else. But you do. I couldn't appreciate how much work went into it because I didn't know, but I would know that it was a good invention because you made it. The great engineer and scientist Miles Tails Prower always made his machines with loving care, and nothing else mattered. Just the fact that it was yours made it better than anything else."

"…"

"And now your creations, your precious inventions, have just killed Shadow. And you're going to kill me just because I'm not as clever as you. Don't you think that those skills were the reason we liked you? We always treated them as a strength, not as a weakness, Tails. How many times do you think we'd all be dead without your machines?"

"You think you know how I feel?"

"Of course I do, Tails. I've been through the same thing, and so have all the others. It was always Sonic who did everything, not us. Are you going to kill me just because of him, or are you going to finally live the way you want to, without his shadow in your way?"

There was silence for a moment after her speech. Then my mouth opened, and words came out. "…You say that you know me. But the Doctor knows me better. He told me everything I needed to know about Sonic, and I was proud to serve him for showing me the light. He knows enough to really appreciate me, and you don't."

Amy didn't say anything. I knew it! It was a trick all along! She could never convince me! I won't fall for the lies this time! Now it's time for me to exact my revenge once and for all, and prove to the Doctor that I am loyal to him as his assistant!

I steady myself against the wall, pushing myself up. It seems to move against my back, but I dismiss it as an illusion. I move towards Amy, who doesn't make a move, and I raise my fist…

And I stop. But not by choice. For some reason I can't move forward any more, and as I struggle against this unseen force, a third voice comes from behind me.

"Do you remember when you came here, Tails?"

The voice is deep, and calm. "You came to visit me, do you remember? It was after one of the many 'adventures'. You came to see how I was doing, and you even made the island more efficient for me."

I try to turn my head, but it is somehow locked, and I am forced to look at Amy.

"If it had been anyone else, I would never have allowed it. But I knew that you were a whiz with gadgets, something I could never be, and so I let you have a look around. You taught me things I would never have figured out in a hundred years, and I always held you on a pedestal for it. You were something I could never be, someone I could not aspire to be."

There was a slight sound, possibly a chuckle. "Of course, I would never mention it. But you know…" the voice leaned in close, and talked into my ear. "I still have that bike you built for me."

I felt a lead ball drop into my stomach. That voice… it was Knuckles. I remember now. I did build him a bike, a brilliant one. It took me a month to make it, and I made it as good as I possibly could. That bike was a masterpiece, and I remember… I remember…

He thanked me. He smiled at me. He said, 'Thank you Tails.' I was important to him. He accepted my gift to him. He did care.

"And unless I'm very much mistaken," Knuckles continued, still behind me. "Shadow would have thought it was an excellent bike as well. He used it to keep your army at bay while I charged up the island's power. I was able to do it so fast thanks to the modifications you made to the system." I realised now that I had never been leaning against the wall. I was leaning on Knuckles.

Yet he allowed me to do so, as if… as if… as if I was his _friend_.

My friends… they really did care about me. I look at Amy. She sways on her feet, but still looks at me unblinkingly. Paying attention to me. Her whole demeanour is different now, I can't think of a single time in my past where she wasn't looking at Sonic in adoration. Have I really been so blind?

But what about the Doctor? What about my master? Did he not rescue me from Sonic's clutches? Did he not put the pieces in place so that I might rebuild my life?

Master… he became my 'master'… is that any different from me being a 'sidekick'? When I failed, back in the outpost, he was not understanding about it. He gave me a second chance, but only on a whim. Whereas Amy and Knuckles… and even Shadow… they talked to me, they are using their time to try to _help_ me.

Robotnik forced me to murder Cream. That is not the kind of life I want. I want a life where people understand me for who I am, even in my failures. And if this is one enormous failure, then they are being pretty damn understanding about it.

My whole life has been a sham, thanks to Sonic. But now I realise that so has everyone else's. I want to be with the people I grew up with, the people who want to be my friends, the people who care about me and who I am.

Please forgive me.

I feel my strength leave me, and I fall forwards. Knuckles catches me, and holds me upright. I stare at the floor, the pretty blue colour being warped around by splashes of tears. I watch each drop, feel it fall from my eyes and join the rest of them on the floor. They are together.

The heat on my face becomes unbearable, and as my face scrunches up to block the cry, it comes. I howl at the floor, wanting the same kind of acceptance my tears get so easily. I cry freely, letting each sob come out, and I thrash around in the echidnas grip, wanting to be free.

He lets go, and I fall to my knees. The cold floor feels horrible, but it helps soothe my burning skin. It burns with shame, for being so stupid, and I want it to end.

The Amy lifts me. She has the face of an angel, and I want to be with an angel. She picks me up, and hugs me. I feel her arms wrap around my shoulders and back, I feel her soft and warm embrace somehow combating my terrible shame. I eagerly return the hug. I want to keep it forever.

I want to say I'm sorry, but in my mind it sounds awful, and I can't think of how to say it. I am aware of the guardian, the resolute echidna, standing behind us, just soothing me with his presence. Amy is in front of me, still helping me to recover.

Everything is my fault, but maybe, just maybe… I can start to make up for it.

There are so many people who will never experience this. Cream comes to my mind again, and I hear her scream again and again as I push the button that ended her existence forever. It sounds again, ever louder than the last, drowning out the world in the terror of the past.

My mind is fixed now. I wave away the memory. No one else will die by my actions today. I will not allow it.

I pull away from Amy, and I watch her face carefully. She is smiling, and try as I might, I can only see honest joy in her face. I turn to Knuckles. His face is impassive, as it always seems to be, but as I watch, he too, smiles slightly at me.

I flick up my left tail, still watching carefully for any change in his expression. Even as I reach inside and take out what I need, he still makes no move. It's as if he now trusts me completely.

I look at what I took out. It is a small remote, about the size of my hand. I press a few buttons, and enter my password. There. It is done. The robots that I sent to destroy the island have been deactivated.

"I've deactivated the robots. It's over."

Amy hugs me again, and I feel her own tears mingle with my fur. I look down at the blue ground, and as I watch, a single tear from Amy drops down and meets my own on the floor. I feel… different.

I feel accepted. At last, what I yearned for has come true. Thank you Amy. Thank you Knuckles. And Shadow too.

The irony is that without Sonic, I would not be feeling this way. I wonder if he knew this would happen? Or perhaps he never gave it much thought. Suddenly I realise that when I die, I want to meet him again. It wouldn't be too much anymore.

I just stand there, in the corridor leading to the Master Emerald chamber. Knuckles left the door slightly ajar when he came out, and I can see the magnificent jewel from here. It shines out in the darkness, flowing over me, cleansing me of everything. I simply stand there, embracing Amy Rose, looking upon the Master Emerald, with Knuckles at my side. I am finally free.

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**S: Well, what did you think? Good? Bad? Unexpected perhaps? I always intended this from the start, it wasn't a spur of the moment thing, so if this just ruined the story for you, then I apologise. With any luck, you'll all go 'Yay! Tails isn't evil any more!', but perhaps not. I'll have to wait and see.**

**Because this chapter is longer than the others, there's probably a spelling mistake somewhere. I would be grateful if you tell me about it if you spot one.**

**No matter what your opinion, I thank you for reading. Until next time!**


	14. The White Light

**S: First of all, please let me apologise for the fact that it has been over a week since I updated, and I'm pretty sure you've all been cursing my name for several days now. I just could not think of a way to write this chapter well. Every attempt seemed absolutely awful, and if I'm honest, I still don't think this is good enough. It's not going to get any better than it is though.**

**I'm also sorry for the long author notes last chapter, and so before this one gets any bigger, please, enjoy.**

* * *

Amy takes me in her arms, and her small, bright hands lift me up to my resting place with her. She is shining, her smiling features enhanced by the purity of the light behind her. The grey jacket she wears is almost glowing with the heavenly whiteness of the resting place, and her eyes glow as green as a pleasant field of grass. I feel at peace, knowing I did all I could to help.

Suddenly the whiteness fades, and is replaced by black. The comforting silence and drowsy feeling is now taut and confining, and I can't move at all. My head hits the floor with a crack, ringing audibly in my skull, and I wince. I can imagine the warmth of the bleeding as my vision starts to blur.

She was a hallucination. Amy was never here with me, lying in this black hell with broken muscles and ripped, blood-congealed fur. I feel the scorch of the blasted rocks beneath me, and my stomach and chest twinges in my memory. Can I bring myself to drag my dying body away from this place, just like I did before on that melted road? My mind makes me uncomfortably aware of exactly which layer of my body would tear away first, and then the next, and the next…

No. I can't do it this time, least of all because the entirety of my energy was used up in one final attack. I am little more than a corpse now, shrunken and beaten and hanging onto life by one last pitiable tendril. I lie in this crater of my own doing, quietly rotting away the time with my doom behind me. It stinks here, just like it did on that road, but this time, the stench of rotting tissue and organs is not countered by tarmac. I feel sick knowing that I am smelling myself, revolted.

The Amy I saw just now, was not the one I know. She was too pure to be Amy, too untouched. The Amy I know is marred by her life, coping with it instant by instant. And I am sure she would show more worry at the sight of me dying in a ditch, after our tearing goodbye.

Or would she? Was she just replacing Sonic with me? Had I been tricked by someone else? Granted, Amy was not secluding me from everyone like the hated blue one did, she was just… not wanting me… to leave… her…

Amy didn't want to be alone. Was that the reason she clung to the person who oh so conveniently looked like the previous object of her attention? Amy's mind was being controlled, but was it always that way? _Something_ had to happen for her to be caught up in his despised 'adventures', after all. Could it be that her feelings were genuine at first? Or was she lying to him too?

And what does that make her now? A liar? A cheat? Yet another who doesn't care about me, like nobody but my mother and sister have ever done? She just left me here.

But she was never here.

She was a hallucination.

Was everything a hallucination?

She left.

She didn't come.

She wasn't supposed to come.

Why did she come here?

She didn't come here, it was a hallucination.

Was it?

…

…Was Amy really here? Did she really care about me? Has she come to help me, to be with me in my final moments?

I don't want her to see that.

But I want to see her again.

Why is everything here _black_?

With unknown strength I sit upright. The world swims by me, as if I am underwater, but I ignore it. My stinging eyes rove endlessly around, searching for that one speck of pink to be my saviour. I see endless green. No pink.

I collapse again, cracking my head on the rock, and causing a sharp lance of pain into my brain. Why am I not dead yet?

Green…?

My muscles won't let me move, but I turn my eyes to the side until they hurt. I see it! A tiny bit of green in the corner! Green on the floor outdoors means that…

…I'm lying on a field of grass. I feel each blade of it sharply on my skin. To the right, I hear the wind. Such a pleasant sound. It whooshes by, narrowly avoiding my prone form, before going off to my right with all the innocence of a child dancing among the flowers.

It occurs to me that everything I just thought was a hallucination. It seems I was even hallucinating that I was having a hallucination. Perhaps I should call it dream. What did it mean? What was the whiteness? And Amy?

"It looks like I'm saving you for the second time, Shadow."

_Knuckles_!

"Amy will be relieved I've found you. The three of us were wondering where you'd got to in all the confusion, and one of us in particular was having a massive guilt trip."

Knuckles is here! I want to see him. I push against the ground, willing it to release me. My bones grind inside their fleshy prisons as I manage to turn over onto my knees. I look up, to see Knuckles standing near me, in the middle of a grassy field. He is smiling, and as I look, he flips back a small device and inserts it into his cuff.

"Hello, friend, you look like you could use a helping hand for saving the island like that. Will you accept my help as a small payment for your sacrifice?"

What is he talking about? Why am I kneeling in a field of flowers?

Knuckles glances round. "Yeah, I know this place looked different the last time you saw it, but that's the power of the Master Emerald at work. It isn't just a weapon, you know."

He walks forward and offers his hand. After a moment, I take it. It is surprisingly solid, and he pulls me to my feet easily, where I manage to balance. I must be dreaming. I must have failed. Knuckles is greeting me in the afterlife, and I failed to protect him. Or Amy.

My stomach drops, leaving a horrible empty space. Where is she?

"Where's Amy?"

"I just told her that I'd found you. She's probably on her way right now, dying of overloads of relief." Knuckles' voice remains as level as it was before, but I sense in it a tone of… laughter? What reason could he have for laughing?

The guardian seems to read my thoughts. "Even I know that nearly dying, even for such a noble cause, makes your girlfriend mad as hell for your idiocy."

"I have a girlfriend?" I blurt out unthinkingly. Knuckles' eyes widen for a moment, and then his smile widens considerably.

"You really are different from the hedgehog I used to know." He crosses his arms and simply grins at me, offering no explanation for his actions. Everything I had thought to myself in my dream about Amy comes back in force, and I can't bear to return his smile.

I had given in so easily, selfishly assuming Amy didn't care about me to soothe my pain. Now the pain comes back, making my chest ache, and my eyes suddenly become hot. I resist the incredible urge to blink, and I lower my head instead. I do not want to cry, especially in the presence of another person. It would be unforgivable and excruciating to even think about it.

Knuckles frowns. He uncrosses his arms and puts a hand on my shoulder. It burns.

"Hey, what's wrong? We're all fine, you know, it's you we were worried about."

Something Knuckles said before clicks in my mind, and I jerk my head up. Salty tears fly everywhere, and I can feel them sliding down my cheeks even as I speak, but I don't care.

"You said 'the three of us'. Who is the third?"

Knuckles stops. He opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it again with a sigh. I am beginning to get impatient.

"Who is the third person? There were no others! Who is it?"

"…Tails."

"What?! What did he do? Did we not stop him? Where's Amy?"

Knuckles stands there. His eyes are blank, impossible to read. I can hear the wind again, brushing the grass lightly, but this time it seems that the dancing child is singing maliciously at the top of its voice, trampling where it danced, and dragging out the echidna's response. Knuckles' spines are also moving with the wind, and with the movement all around, the air feels suffocating.

"…Tails realised his mistake. We told him how Sonic ruined all our lives, not just his, and he saw his error. He stopped the robots that he sent to destroy the island, but we feared it might have been too late to save you."

"He… realised his mistake?"

"He knows now that he has friends who went through the same thing he did, and now we're all going to help each other."

…Could it be that Tails saved me? Is this the only reason I am still alive, because he had a change of heart at the last minute? I find that hard to believe, even though I desperately want to. I don't think I have it in my to fight anymore… I just want to have some peace. My life has been full of hardship, needless hardship, and I want it to end. I only hope this can happen.

But wait a minute. The robots may not have killed me in my vulnerable state after my attack, but the Chaos Blast would have killed me anyway. I could feel myself ripping to pieces under the strain of the power. Why am I still here?

"Why am I not dead? And why aren't we standing in a crater right now? I used everything I had in one last attack, and I know for a fact it would have killed me. Why am I still here, talking to you after it's… all… over…" I can't continue. Being able to say 'it's all over'. Could it really be… over?

Knuckles starts smiling again, and he sweeps his arm in an arc, looking at the grass, the trees, the sky. He closes his eyes and listens to the birdsong echoing in the wind. He smells the fresh air, tangible in the scent of freedom and peace that only comes from a floating island. I can detect the pride in his voice, and he talks to me.

"This is the power of the Master Emerald. When I used the energy to strike down the battleship, it did other things too. Like destroying all of the robots, for instance. Great waves of white light, making all the enemies of the emerald… disappear." Knuckles began to whisper reverently, staring through a cloud. "The emerald's power destroyed the robots, and healed everyone who was not an enemy caught in the blast. It is said in the scriptures that a person blessed by this wave of power sees the things that matter to them the most."

"I saw a white light, when I was dying. Was that it?"

Knuckles nods, slowly and calmly. "Yes." Suddenly he turns, an uncharacteristic smirk on his face. "And what did you see, Shadow? Did you perhaps see a place of rest you enjoyed? Maybe it was a feeling. Or could it have a been a person?"

I had thought of Amy. That means that…

I feel the blush starting on my cheeks, and I tighten up my face. I always wondered why people never stopped their blushes before they happened, but now I understand that they can't stop. It feels horribly embarrassing, especially with a smirking echidna finding out his suspicions. Curiously, it also feels… relieving. Liberating. I smirk back at him, and for a moment I feel that some sort of understanding had passed between us.

"And what did you see, guardian? Did you see a special person, too?"

There was silence for a moment. I become aware of a movement in the distance, growing steadily larger.

Knuckles opens his mouth, still maintaining that smirk. "I saw someone too." He turns to look at the approaching shape. It now appears that it is actually some sort of propeller shape, but after a moment, I see that it is two people, one clinging onto the other. It is Tails, with Amy hanging onto his arm.

"But unfortunately," Knuckles continued, looking at the approaching pair, "I cannot tell this person that I saw her. She is now dead, and I only realised the most important thing after her death." I look at him. His face is downcast, his smirk gone. He now seems lonely and forlorn. "But on the bright side," he said, "I can tell someone who would understand what it means."

He looks at me now, and I understand whom he had seen. I remember what Rouge said to me long ago.

"_He saved my life. He says he wouldn't have done if I didn't have the Master Emerald with me, but I know he would."_

"_But how? How do you know?"_

_She smiled. "I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand."_

I understand now. I move myself to face him, letting my face form into a smile that I know is true.

"Rouge told me once that a certain echidna saved her life. She said she knew why he'd done it, and she never gave up hope that she would get to meet that person again. She loved you, Knuckles, and I know that somewhere, she is glad that you are the person she met again."

Knuckles stares at me. The wind blows past us again, and in the distance I can hear Tails' distinctive helicopter sound getting steadily louder. Then it mutes. The wind doesn't seem to blow Knuckles' spines around anymore, and I can't feel it on my fur. The birds have stopped singing. I stare into the guardian's eyes, hoping that I haven't misjudged. That was what he wanted to hear, right?

All I can do is smile at him. At least that shows that I didn't mean any harm.

"Thank you."

It is so quiet that I almost didn't hear it. All at once, the sounds of the world come back. The birds sing extra loud in relief, the wind blows faster to make up for lost time, and Tails and Amy are almost here.

Knuckles turns back to them, a contented look on his face. "Now it's your turn. You get the chance to tell her. Use it well."

The two of them are almost here now. It'll be a matter of seconds before they are upon us, and I come face to face with Amy Rose. Plenty of time to come up with a way of saying the thing I want to say.

Right?

* * *

**S: Aaaaand... roll credits! That's right, this is the end of the story. There will be no 'we saved the world from Robotnik's scourge' in THIS tale. My apologies if you were expecting that. I had always intended it to end here from the very beginning, and I think actually a few of you may have already suspected this (points at Dennisthefox).**

**This is the first multi-chapter story I've ever finished, and I don't really know how to do this, so just bear with me, okay? Let's see... first of all, thank you very much for reading this, and my eternal gratitude goes out to all the wonderful reviewers. This couldn't have happened without you. Thanks. :)**

**Secondly... actually, I can't think of one. Um, disclaimer for Sonic characters perhaps? Oh yes, how about my apologies for the sudden ending? I keep thinking it's far too quick, and if you read the comments I made at the top, you'd know that I don't like this chapter much anyway. Ah well, no matter what, it's the end now, and I hope you enjoyed it. **

**This was a story by S of STaR Productions, and I'll see ya later! (insert wise saying here)**


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